Malware Essay

The first known ransomware was written by Joseph Popp in 1989 and was known as PC Cyborg or “AIDS.” This

Ransomware is a malicious computer program that encrypts your computers contents and requires a key to unlock the encryption. You are instructed to wire bitcoins (anonymous internet

The threat is incredibly serious—and growing. Our nation’s critical infrastructure, including both private and public sector networks, are targeted by adversaries. American companies are targeted for trade secrets and other sensitive data, and universities for their cutting-edge research and development. Citizens from anywhere across the globe are targeted by fraudsters and identity thieves, and children are targeted by online predators. Just as the FBI transformed itself to better address the terrorist threat after the 9/11 attacks, this means enhancing the Cyber Division’s investigative capacity to have strong sharp focus on intrusions into government and private computer like network to.hospitals, school districts, state and local governments, law enforcement agencies like the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Central Intelligence Agency, Drug Enforcement Administration, National Security Agency, Naval Criminal investigative Service and Department Of Defense, small businesses, large businesses these are just many who have been impacted by ransomware, a threat type of malware that encrypts, or locks, valuable digital files and

Times have changed what was known as organized crime has been replaced by Cybercrimes (Heists: Cybercrimes with Ben Hammersley). Cybercrimes have risen dramatically in recent years and have become a major issue the United States and company’s face today jeopardizing as well as threatening the critical infrastructure of America (Cyberwar Threat, 2005). Sadly, the status quo of cyber security is very unstable with the advancements and growth which has put most individuals and businesses into an enormous threat (Agustina, 2015).

Cyber security researcher’s radars have detected a new ransomware strain named .bript file. This virus is yet another ransomware in development which hints at successful encryption activities and appends .bript extension to the victim’s files. The encryption of this ransomware is a strong one, utilize RSA and AES ciphers. A file called More.html, contains the ransomware note for this nasty threat. For now, it only targets English-Speaking

Malwares are mischievous programs crafted to agitate or forbid normal operations to gather selected information which may lead to loss of privacy through

Recovering from a ransomware attack isn't easy, yet it can be done. However, companies who fall victim to ransomware may find that the recovery process is the least of their concerns. They could be facing not only lawsuits, but also costly fines. This is why prevention is so critical.

By the year of 2016, investments in online security are expected to reach $86bn (Contu et al, 2012). Although this might seem a large sum of money, it is considered necessary since there is an increase in online risks from all over the world. Professional hackers develop malware on a global scale and on a 24/7 basis. Hackers have five objectives when spreading malware over the Internet: to infect/distribute, to steal, to persist, to control and for intelligence (Morris, 2010).

Just like a biological virus, a computer virus is able to infect and ruin lives. This malicious software constitutes more than just simple viruses but also includes other types of software including worms, Trojan horses, and ransomware. Malware has been around since the late 1980’s. Originally, people became hackers to gain notoriety online, but today, it has become more of a business. Cyber attacks originate from all around the world, and it is not just individual people that benefit from it. In two decades, numerous cyber crime syndicates have been created, and states all over the world sponsor hacker groups. Over the past twenty-five years, malware has become less about checking the integrity of computer security and gaining notoriety in the underground cyber society, and it has become more of a chaos creating, money making business that many people and institutions take part in.

As the world becomes more and more reliant on computers the computer hacking industry is greatly rising. With people such as Kevin Mitnick, who is known as a "computer terrorist" (Kjochaiche 1), computerized information isn't safe any more. Kevin is known as "the most high-profiled computer criminal and responsible for more havoc in the computer world today."(1) He considered this a fun and easy task. He got caught and thrown into prison, but once he got out nothing changed. Kevin stated that as long as the technology is there it just calls to people to break into it. Computer hackers usually start off young, thinking that it is nothing but a little harmless fun. But as they get older, they realize it has turned into

In accordance with many decades of cyber evolution, a cybercrime is shown in different ranges of crimes, which depend on the spread of technology and law. From the introduction of computer in the 1960s to the rise of personal computer in 1980s, cybercrime began to appear. The crimes can vary from piracy of software to patent-related crimes. This caused a surge in the introduction of relevant legislation in many countries and international organizations involved. In late 1990s, when Internet and transnational crimes were born, the international community cooperated in many instances such as the passing of the UN General Assembly Resolution 45/121 in 1990 and the manual for the prevention and control of computer-related crimes issued in 1994. Despite all the

Variants of ransomware now allow victims to “pay” by spreading the malware to their friends and family. Another variant, Spora, allows tiered payments that unlock “some” or “all” of a victim’s encrypted files or grant “immunity” from the virus that infected them. Expect that to continue in 2017 with an emphasis on alternative payment modes (always the trickiest part of the ransomware scheme). (Roberts, 2017)

Cybercrime has become a fast growing concern for the 21st century as businesses, institutions and individuals grow into an interconnected web of computer networks. Online business transactions, along with the sharing of personal information, are vulnerable to a host of disasters that can reap economic and social havoc. Some sources say that today, cybercrime costs more than $1.0 trillion to society--Global Industry Analysts, Inc. forecasted the world cyber security market to reach $80 billion by 2017 (Gale, 2011).

From a long time ago, companies were worried about their visibility on the internet, sales, profits, and, in isolated cases, by security concerns regarding breaches on their networks or hackers steeling important data. The last 5 or 6 years have been plagued from ransomware, viruses, malware and all kind of malicious software, take as example identity theft breaches from 2013 to 2017, according to the specialized website www.breachlevelindex.com the statistics show more than 15% in growth (58.78% in 2013, 73.05% in 2017) as an average 59 records (Name, address, DOB, SSN, credit card number) are stolen every second in the world, making a total of more than 5 million stolen records in a lapse of a single day. On the other hand, ransomware has become the jewel of the crown in an information technology threatening world, with two “popular” variances on top -cryptowall and cryptolocker – encrypting the whole content of the user’s hard drive in a way that is impossible to get your data back unless you pay a ransom in digital currency such as Bitcoins or Ukash, amounts that can range from $300 to several thousand dollars, to this day it is almost impossible to recover the encrypted files without paying the money, unless you keep a copy of your data somewhere

Accumulation of wealth has always been a driving factor since the financial system’s inception. In the past, bank robberies were the major concern as such notorious robbers as Jessie James along with Bonnie and Clyde were infamous for their robbing sprees. However, today’s bank robberies are less likely to be done in the physical nature with advances in technology. Malware plus Spyware are now the threat to financial security in personal and commercial capacities.