Extortion

Extortion means to gain something of value using force or threats. Ransomware is an extortion tactic that threatens a person or company's access to their information. Ransomware is a specific type of malicious software that is delivered as a virus or a worm. The most successful ransomware attacks do not infect a single machine and make demands. Instead, the most successful lie dormant for a period so they can spread throughout a network. Next, they quietly begin encrypting as many files as the software can access. Only once a significant number of files have been encrypted do they notify the user, normally through a pop-up message, and demand payment.

Ransomware 2.0

Extortion through ransomware today is an attack against access to files. While it may be disruptive or distressing to lose access to important information, ransomware could be much worse in the future. The world is more connected than ever. The average person has dozens of devices in their house or...