During the past 2 years, the world has faced a major shift towards online business and employment. This trend continues to invite more and more people who are looking for some kind of legal work in a safe and home-based environment. But working online has emerged with some of its downsides as well. One of them is a virus or malware attack. One of the most common and widely spread malware is Ransomware.
As the name depicts, it is all about getting unauthorised and illegal access to your computer and personal data leading to threatening the victim to pay heavy ransom money to reinstate the lost access. Ransomware makes the data encrypted and the hacker asks for a kind of extortion money from the victim.

The hackers can use any type of Ransomware to make sure that the victim is fully harmed and his system is completely infected. A few of these attacks are:

Scareware: It is a type of Ransomware in which the victim is continuously bombarded with pop up messages that his files are unsafe and the only way to secure them is to pay up. If you continue to ignore the warning pop-ups, they will continue to appear again and again. You do not need to worry at all in case you have preinstalled cybersecurity software on your computer because the message is fake and all your files are safe.

Encrypting Ransomware: This is a very deadly type of Ransomware that allows the hacker to encrypt the victims file and block his access by demanding ransom. Even if the ransom is paid, the data sometimes may not get recovered and the victim might lose all his money and data as well. So, there is no guarantee that your hacker will return your files back to you.

Screen Lockers: This type of Ransomware blocks the user out of his computer system completely. On the screen appears a fake government adorned seal depicting that there are some of the illegal files on the system and the victim has to pay some amount to clear it up. The victim, out of terror from the government, pays the amount asked. It is to be noted that the government based channels will never do such an act of blocking the access of a person to his system. Instead, they will find a proper legitimate way of explaining to the victim his mistake and the punishment he deserves.

Mobile Ransomware: This is a new way of withholding the data of victims.

Doxware: In this type of Ransomware, the hacker not only gains control over your data but also threatens to publish the information and all the pictures and videos (personal data).

Ransomware can pose hazardous impacts on your business. Who would want to disclose the secrets of their business in the market? Literally no one

This can lead to loss of your data, increase in the decline of business, loss of clients, fewer profits, blow to the reputation of the business. By less profit, we mean the loss of hundreds and thousands of dollars which is surely a big amount. The law-based panel may get involved in case of any complaint registered by the client. This will delay the working cycle and will pose a major impact on the productivity of the business.

Some Variants of Ransomware that emerged in Pandemic

• Ryuk: is one of the most famous variants that spread its roots with the help of phishing emails or by easily having the access to the login credentials of the admin. This happens by using Remote Desktop Protocol.
• Maze: is a different variant of Ransomware. It exposes the victim’s data publicly or sells it to the highest bidder in case of non-payment of the ransom amount.
• REvil: is a variant designed to attack big organisations. This has a Russian origin which demands a ransom in a very high amount and in case of nonpayment. The victim is threatened that his data will be publicly exposed.

How to spot a ransomware attack before proper damage is done

How to Protect Yourself from a Ransomware Attack with These 4 Simple Steps

Ransomware is one of the most common types of cyberattacks in the world.

There are many ways to protect yourself from ransomware. Here are four simple steps that you need to follow:

Conclusion

Without the proper knowledge, it would become impossible for you to chalk out a solution from it.

We hope the article has helped you in answering your Ransomware-related questions. However, if you want to implement high-level security controls in your company, then IT Nation can be your stop. With a team of experts, we can help you in establishing full security mechanisms tailored to your business needs.