Word of the day : ransomware
ransomware:
Ransomware is malware for data kidnapping, an exploit in which the attacker encrypts the victim's data and demands payment for the decryption key.
A ransomware program can be installed from an e-mail attachment, an infected program, or a compromised Web site. Malware used for this purpose is sometimes called a cryptovirus, cryptotrojan or cryptoworm.
Ransomware is not new. A paper entitled "Cryptovirology: Extortion-Based Security Threats and Countermeasures," written by security experts at Columbia University and IBM, clearly outlined the concept back in 1996. In the past, though, data kidnappers targeted businesses rather than individuals.
Ransomware is malware for data kidnapping, an exploit in which the attacker encrypts the victim's data and demands payment for the decryption key.
A ransomware program can be installed from an e-mail attachment, an infected program, or a compromised Web site. Malware used for this purpose is sometimes called a cryptovirus, cryptotrojan or cryptoworm.
Ransomware is not new. A paper entitled "Cryptovirology: Extortion-Based Security Threats and Countermeasures," written by security experts at Columbia University and IBM, clearly outlined the concept back in 1996. In the past, though, data kidnappers targeted businesses rather than individuals.
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