Cyber Criminals Profit From Exploited People

Ransomware is a malicious computer program that encrypts your computers contents and requires a key to unlock the encryption. You are instructed to wire bitcoins (anonymous internet

Malware is a class of malicious code that incorporates viruses, worms, and Trojan horses. Specialized communication tools are used by destructive malwares in order to spread. Malwares could be distributed by means of email and texts, Trojan horses dropped from web sites, and virus-infected records obtained from peer-to-peer connections. Malwares looks for existing flaws and loopholes in the system architecture to make a peaceful and simple entrance.

This research project discusses a common threat that is consistently present in the world that we live in today on the front of cybersecurity as well as cyberspace. Among all of the various cyber-attacks that exist in our world today, Ransomware has taken a front seat when discussing the different types of threats that create the potential to harm us users on a day to day basis. This form of threat is something that has been plaguing users for years and has caused financial manipulation for hospitals, businesses, and private citizens as well. This research project will discuss the threats that have been present in the past 5-10 years and will provide an in depth study of what occurred and what could have been done in order to prevent this type of attack from happening. The topic of risk assessment and vulnerability will be analyzed as well.

The WannaCry ransomware was found in May,2017. This ransomware looks for and tries to encrypt about 176 file types as well as appends. It puts the words WCRY at the end of a file name. Following that its asks the user victims to pay a ransom in the form of bitcoins. The note says that after three days of nonpayment the amount will double. After seven days, the encrypted files have a possibility of being deleted. The way that the ransom payment is set up is the attackers request to be paid by the form of bitcoins. The unique Bitcoin walled address in the infected computer in this case does not execute correctly. Therefore, the WannaCry goes into a three-hardcoded bitcoin address to receive the payments. This ransomware is said to be the works of a hacking group known as shadow brokers. They claim to have discovered flaws from the United States Security Agency (NSA).

New ransomware test has been found by security analysts. It is given the name SnakeLocker Ransomware and has all the earmarks of being developed. The threat is related with two malignant extensions .TGIF and .snake that rename corrupted records. The .TGIF and .snake record infection plans to encrypt profitable information put away on the tainted PC and afterward blackmail victims into paying 0.1 BTCransom for the information decoding key. Once the threat completes the encryption procedure, it shows a ransom message on the PC screen. The note is put away in the record INSTRUCTIONS-README.html and urges victims to pay the ransom.

It is believed to originate in Russian in the mid 2000’s; it is a dangerous malware that either blocks your important files or the whole computer itself. There are two types of ransomware that the authorities encounter, Crypto and Winlocker ransomware. The Crypto is just like

For over a week, Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center has been under ransom by a virus called “ransomware.” This “ransomware” targets random computer systems and encrypts the contents of the computer. The virus then demands a ransom for the return of the encrypted data. The Atlantic says, “Using publicly available encryption methods, an attacker can lock up the contents of a device so effectively that even the FBI has given up on decryption efforts in the past.” “Ransomware” has been known for attacking establishments possessing crucial data. The program has attacked police departments in Tennessee, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire with a maximum ransom of $750. The Atlantic states, “Those departments paid because the data they’d lost was

Just like a biological virus, a computer virus is able to infect and ruin lives. This malicious software constitutes more than just simple viruses but also includes other types of software including worms, Trojan horses, and ransomware. Malware has been around since the late 1980’s. Originally, people became hackers to gain notoriety online, but today, it has become more of a business. Cyber attacks originate from all around the world, and it is not just individual people that benefit from it. In two decades, numerous cyber crime syndicates have been created, and states all over the world sponsor hacker groups. Over the past twenty-five years, malware has become less about checking the integrity of computer security and gaining notoriety in the underground cyber society, and it has become more of a chaos creating, money making business that many people and institutions take part in.

CryptoLocker was first seen in September 2013 and infected computers with the help of a dirty email attachment. This virus was eradicated in June 2014 with the help of the United States Department of Justice. Nevertheless, new ransomware viruses have popped up with similar names that people need to be aware of.

Yet another piece of malware is a trojan horse. This malware is much like the popular historical Trojan horse -- it appears like a gift, usually in the form of a useful software -- but carries dangerous software inside it. The reason trojans are so dangerous is because they can allow third party users remote access to the computer by creating a backdoor, allowing them to steal private and sensitive information (IT Business Edge, 2014).

Computer viruses are minute program which is “embedded inside an application or within a data file which can copy itself into another program“(Adams et al, 2008 ) for the sole determination of meddling with normal computer operations. The consequences may range from corruption and deletion of data; propagation of virus on to network and deployment through attachments through emails in order to further creating havoc to all associated computing devices.

Variants of ransomware now allow victims to “pay” by spreading the malware to their friends and family. Another variant, Spora, allows tiered payments that unlock “some” or “all” of a victim’s encrypted files or grant “immunity” from the virus that infected them. Expect that to continue in 2017 with an emphasis on alternative payment modes (always the trickiest part of the ransomware scheme). (Roberts, 2017)

One of the most insidious and annoying things in the digital world, ransomware still plagues users due to a number of factors. Although Teslacrypt is a currently defunct example of ransomware, it is still a trojan that was used to encrypt access to key files such as saved games in a number of video games that included popular titles such as the Call of Duty series, Minecraft, World of Tanks and World of Warcraft among at least 40 other known titles. At its core the trojan was used to search for 185 file extensions connected to these games, using them to encrypt a number of important files on the victim 's machine including essentials for gaming such as custom maps, save data and player profiles saved on their hard drive. Much like any other form of ransomware the victim would be contacted with a prompt to make a payment in bitcoins in exchange for a key used to decrypt said files. Teslacrypt would also focus on online service such as Steam, but not exclusively, as newer versions of the trojan were also used to work on blocking access to a number of other files, such as PDF, JPEG and Word documents as well, broadening the scope of potential attack possibilities.

1 Now the real question, is cybercriminals are dangers to us? Some experts will say that it depends on the data that companies contain whether it attract the cybercriminal or not. Such as, “customer contact info, credit card data, health data, or valuable intellectual property.” (Armerding). On the other hand, some experts say it depends on the size of the company. Small to midsize organizations usually are attractive targets because they are frequently have less security and more vulnerability. When a cyber criminal is planning to attack he/she is not targeting a specific individual or organization. They do not care who they are attacking; they have programs that attack thousands and millions of people at once. However, you might ask yourself, we are not a small company, but it does not matter because an attack might not come directly at us. Small businesses are gateway into larger companies. “PwC’s Burg agrees, noting that, “smaller organizations increasingly serve as vendors, contractors, and business partners of bigger firms, and as such may have trusted access to the networks and data of these partners.” (Armerding). We work with varies of government and private companies, which either other companies might be under attack and the attacker gain access to our network from that network. From our networks, the attacker can move up to the government. The question I asked earlier is cybercriminals are dangers to us? Yes of course they are real

The Internet has extended its reach over the last 15-20 years, so is malware (malicious software). Also it has evolved and become more complex and applying new tricks every day. Early forms of malware sought to generate attacks on basic areas of computer systems, but today its aims are increasingly evil, focusing on theft and other illicit activities. Malware has become much more of a concern for organizations; Today, in addition to individual computers and the networks of organizations both large and small, Internet connectivity also extends to devices such as gaming consoles and smartphones. And as computing architectures shift, protecting organizations, governments, and citizens from malware has become even more of a challenge for network experts.