Ransomware Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ransomware - Research Paper Example Ransomware is a threat due to inability to recover information from the infected computer. Ransomware is a hijacking threat in the computer system using encryption technology to limit or prevent the user’s access to their system. The Three types of ransomware include encrypting malware, lock-screen viruses and scareware. The ransomware make be in the form of police blocking computer access or FBI virus while others use pornographic images to embarrass the victim. The victims of this malware are usually internet users though hijacking of their user files. It often requires the user to pay ransom to the malware creator before removing the restriction. The attacker may seize the files or computer until the user pays the ransom to online currency accounts such as Webmoney or eGold. The attacks using ransomware are becoming more sophisticated and refined in algorithm posing great challenges to data protection. We will consider the history of ransomware, how ransomware functions in this article. Besides, the paper discusses the reason behind its fast growth, how to prevent it or fix the computer after infection. The increase in the use of ransomware since the formation of the first one raises the question of why they are becoming more prominent. The ransomware is likely to evolve further with the current ones having the ability to encrypt and lock the files. The latest actions of the ransomware ensure the damage they cause continues even after removal without paying the ransom money. As the technology evolves, the malware also evolves in many ways to thrive (Elisan & Hypponen, 2013). . Ransomware has changed over time since the first case in the infection methods, directives and persistence. The early cases of ransomware were benign and easy to remove. However, the new strains are more persistent and pose great threats. The first ransomware is PC Cyborg in 1989 that claimed expiry of license to a