Decrypting ransomware: Weapons-grade or casual attacks?
Most attacks use ransomware, a malicious tool that gives hackers unauthorized access to computer systems
Over the last few months, the surging number of cyber attacks —started with dozens of government agencies, then Florida’s water supply, a major gas pipeline, and now on one of the world’s top meat suppliers — is disrupting products and services that are key to everyday lives.
What often begins as an employee inviting the hackers into the system by clicking a seemingly harmless link in their email brings multibillion-dollar business establishments to knees, fuels geopolitical tensions and sends ripple effects throughout the global economy.
Most of the attacks have used ransomware, a malicious tool that lets hackers access computer systems and lock them until they get paid.
While ransomware has maintained prominence as one of the biggest threats since 2005, the first attack can be traced back to 1989, when cyber criminals attacked the computer system of Becker’s Hospital Review.
