Viruses used to be so simple.
You’d
go online with your dial-up modem, take 25 minutes to naively download an
appealing-sounding .exe file, and suddenly a sheep would walk across the screen
or an embarrassing e-mail would be sent to your entire address book. Some would
even wish you a Happy New Year.
Annoying,
maybe, but they had their own ‘90s
cyber-kiddie sense of charm.
Some
viruses, of course, were incredibly disruptive. Now, though, viruses and
malware have become even more malicious. They’re out for more than just hacker
cred – they’re out for your money.
For
a long time, malware scammers
used tactics known as Scare ware. The malicious software fraudulently claims
that your computer has a serious virus infection then sends you to a page to
buy their (useless) anti-virus software.
Related:
Porn, Drugs, Hit men, and Hackers: This Is the Deep Web
While
this is certainly still around, many people have gotten wise to the fraud. Now
some scammers are playing hardball. Enter Ransom ware.
Ransom
ware is a form of malware that encrypts
files on your hard drives with a highly complicated algorithm then presents
you with an ultimatum: Pay up or you lose your files forever. The inherent
brilliance in the software is this: While the software can be removed, the
files remain encrypted. Paying the ransom is the only chance you have to see
your files again.
Although
this scam has been around since 1989, only recently has it become widespread
due to advancements in cryptography algorithms, the ability to extort via the
anonymous currency Bit coin, and the digitization of once-analog items of
sentimental value like family photos and home videos.
Some
consumers are aware of the latest and most notable iteration of this trend
known as Crypto Locker, which encrypts the user’s data with a 2048-bit RSA
Algorithm. The scammers weren’t fooling around when they invented this
complicated algorithm, which is incredibly difficult – if not impossible – to
crack without a key, which will cost victims about $150 to $300.
Crypto
locker has been incredibly successful. Owing to surprisingly good “customer
service” — the majority of people who pay the ransom have their files restored
— the men behind the Crypto locker curtain have raked in over $27 million in
Bit coin over a period of three months, according to an examination of the Bit
coin block chain by ZDNet.
Related: Cyber Crime Pays:
A $114 Billion Industry
Due
to the inherent success of the software, it seems only logical that a bevy of
copycats would show up.
And
they have. IN droves.
One
version, which claimed the owner of the computer had been caught with illicit
material on his computer, demanded a fine. The ordeal caused a Romanian man to
take his own life and that of his son two weeks ago.
While
Ransom ware has evolved as a threat to home computer users, it bears a sizeable
risk to the business world as well. After all, the earlier versions of Crypto
locker actually targeted business professionals, hiding it within emails
claiming to be a “consumer complaint.”
McAfee,
the prominent maker of anti-virus products, predicts that Ransom ware in 2014
will evolve to further target businesses and business owners, and that the
software will shift to the mobile realm this year. Scammers will, according to
McAfee, use the information gleaned from business owners' mobile devices to
gain a “tactical advantage” over the businesses, which could end up costing
them untold amounts of money.
It's
scary stuff certainly, but home users and business owners still have one easy
way out – ensuring all their files are backed up using a cloud-based service,
untouchable to any scammers.
In terms of which service
to pick, there are hundreds of them out there.
• Box for Business is an affordable option,
offering a terabyte of storage per user, at a price of $15 a user.
• Amazon’s S3 offer’s a pay-per-use
monthly pricing scale at 10 cents a gigabyte.
• At $55 a month for 3 users, Sugar
Sync for Business is a slightly pricier option, but boasts a collaborative
sharing platform and mobile access.
Suffice
it to say, regardless of the particular needs of your family or your
organization, there’s a service out there’s that caters to them. There’s no
excuse to keep only data stored locally.
Once
everyone does this, Ransom ware will seem much less threatening.
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