How does ransomware work?

As technology actively develops and advances, hackers are able to use more sophisticated methods to steal our money. We are often sent messages to the mail or mobile device that contain pictures or software that could "interest us", but, in fact, are malware that can take over our PC or mobile device.

You could, for instance, make an advertisement on an advertising platform to sell a product. You will receive an email within a couple of hours, with an offer to exchange your product for another one. The message also contains links to the images of the product. If you access this link using an Android device, you will download an application that will transfer all your money to the accounts belonging to the intruder.

Another well-known method of attack is sending mail messages with link and text, which induces the user to click the link. You may be approached by an intruder and need to complete the application through this link. Your device or computer is then infected with trojans or "keylogger" that will read data from your hard drive and records keystrokes. The attacker can then make use of these files to hack into your computer. In the analysis of data received, the attacker will be able identify your personal passwords , and use the passwords to steal money or your personal details.

What is ransomware?

Ransomware is a fundamentally new way of earning money for the intruders, and is built on the human brain. If you click the link, your device gets blocked and you receive the following message: "You must transfer 100dollars to regain access to your device. This will also prevent data loss." "

Most of the time, the program code alters autorun files or registry when you click on these links. The user will then see this message. In other words, even if send money to an intruder no changes will be made, however, you'll not get access to your device.

However, there are more severe versions of ransomware that can cause you to lose all data from your device. It is important to note that ransomware doesn't create backups for this scenario, so your data will be lost forever. There is no way to retrieve it remotely.

Therefore, it is necessary to make use of anti-virus and other specially designed scripts to repair the system. Never transfer money to intruders!

How to protect

It is vital to ensure that the antivirus database is up-to-date. In the majority of cases antivirus programs are able to prevent infection of the operating system.

Then, you should regularly backup your information. Make use of an external removable hard drive or cloud-based services to perform this. If you lose your data from your device, you'll always retrieve it with no issues.

Be alert, and that's the most important aspect. According to statistics the majority of times malware can infect a computer or mobile device when opening an attachment from a letter within your mailbox, for example when you open an attachment. Unknown recipients could deliver attachments you shouldn't open. The best method to guard against such messages is to use temporary mailboxes to hide your presence on the internet and block the most suspicious messages. According to studies, temporary mailboxes are not as vulnerable to attack of this type due to the fact that their lifespan is limited.

Summary

Do not open emails from unknown persons and don't open attachments.

Never send money to an intruder if your device is blocked. The device cannot be unlocked. Use anti-virus software or scripts in order to fix the issue.

Use disposable mail as it lets you protect yourself from messages that have attached malware.