Ransomware’ Becoming a Serious Problem – BetaNews – Ed Oswald
It seems the newest type of malware that computer users need to be aware of is ransomware. Occurrences of ransomware have been reportedly on the rise. Ransomware is a virus or trojan which uses encryption to hold files at ransom.
Initially, those responsible used simple encryption to hold files at ransom. In more recent incarnations RSA encryption has appeared and hackers are using more complex ways of password-protecting and hiding corrupted files. Kaspersky says attackers and anti-malware companies are now locked in a cat-and-mouse battle, where researchers crack the code, and attackers respond back with more complex methods.
The most recent variant of the Gpcode ransom virus featured a 660-bit key, which researchers said could take as much as 30 years to break using a 2.2 GHz computer.
As these ransomlware programs become more sophisticated, future incarnations could be unbreakable forcing those infected to pay the ransoms necessary to unlock their files. So, it looks like on top of all the other types of viruses, trojan horses, and malware, we now need be concerned about the major headache of having our data held for ransom. Makes you wonder where, or if, this will ever end?
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