In 2021 alone, there have been several major high-profile ransomware attacks resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars lost: Over the last three years, requested ransom fees have increased 4,000%, going from $5,000 in 2018 to around $200,000 in 2020.In 2021, medium-sized organizations paid out an average of $170,404 for ransom demands.In 2019, costs associated with ransomware attacks passed $7.5 billion.

With improvements in encryption algorithms, the introduction of crypto payments, and easier distribution, the major difference from 1989 to today is financial:

Beginning with CryptoLocker in 2013, most modern ransomware attacks involve some form of data encryption.

Crypto ransomware identifies and encrypts the contents of entire drives and/or specific valuable data on the victim system.

The goal of locker ransomware is to prevent system access, not destroy data. Locker ransomware prevents the user from using basic system functions, making the computer inoperable.Ransomware is a class of malware that, once executed on a victim’s computer, renders the system and/or its data inaccessible until a ransom payment is completed. This intro to ransomware covers key ransomware concepts to equip IT and non-IT professionals with a greater understanding of this growing threat. )Īt NetWitness we understand how devastating it can be to find yourself impacted by a ransomware attack, so we created this Ransomware FAQ. (The first widely distributed ransomware attack, the AIDS Trojan, was delivered via floppy disk in 1989. Due to the increased awareness of ransomware, one may think that this is a new phenomenon. Almost every week, another large company publicly discloses being impacted by this type of attack. If you have followed the news over the first half of 2021, you’ve certainly been bombarded by the term ransomware.

How to destroy crypto locker