What does ransomware mean?
Definitions for ransomware
ran·somware
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word ransomware.
Wiktionary
ransomwarenoun
Malware that holds the data of a computer user for ransom.
ransomwarenoun
Software that is released as open source only in exchange for payment.
Wikipedia
Ransomware
Ransomware is a type of malware from cryptovirology that threatens to publish the victim's personal data or permanently block access to it unless a ransom is paid off. While some simple ransomware may lock the system without damaging any files, more advanced malware uses a technique called cryptoviral extortion. It encrypts the victim's files, making them inaccessible, and demands a ransom payment to decrypt them. In a properly implemented cryptoviral extortion attack, recovering the files without the decryption key is an intractable problem – and difficult to trace digital currencies such as paysafecard or Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies are used for the ransoms, making tracing and prosecuting the perpetrators difficult. Ransomware attacks are typically carried out using a Trojan disguised as a legitimate file that the user is tricked into downloading or opening when it arrives as an email attachment. However, one high-profile example, the WannaCry worm, traveled automatically between computers without user interaction.Starting as early as 1989 with the first documented ransomware known as the AIDS trojan, the use of ransomware scams has grown internationally. There were 181.5 million ransomware attacks in the first six months of 2018. This record marks a 229% increase over this same time frame in 2017. In June 2014, vendor McAfee released data showing that it had collected more than double the number of ransomware samples that quarter than it had in the same quarter of the previous year. CryptoLocker was particularly successful, procuring an estimated US$3 million before it was taken down by authorities, and CryptoWall was estimated by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to have accrued over US$18 million by June 2015. In 2020, the IC3 received 2,474 complaints identified as ransomware with adjusted losses of over $29.1 million. The losses could be more than that, according to the FBI. According to a report by SonicWall, there were around 623 million ransomware attacks in 2021.
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of ransomware in Chaldean Numerology is: 9
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of ransomware in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1
Examples of ransomware in a Sentence
I made The White House very clear to Russian President Vladimir Putin that the United States expects when a ransomware operation is coming from Russian President Vladimir Putin soil -- even though it's not sponsored by the state -- we expect Russian President Vladimir Putin to act. And we've given Russian President Vladimir Putin enough information to act on who that is.
Certain ransomware groups pinky-promised not to attack healthcare providers during the pandemic but, unsurprisingly, they didn't adhere to that, there's absolutely no reason to believe that untrustworthy bad faith actors will stick to their word or that they can even necessarily control their affiliates. The fact that a single group has said it will avoid attacks on critical infrastructure is neither a good sign nor a bad one. It's a meaningless nothing-burger.
Healthcare is a particularly tricky area for ransomware, many healthcare systems are locked down by vendors, so healthcare systems often can't be patched in the same way other sectors can patch. This means that healthcare organizations have to take other measures to protect themselves.
Ransomware is not only about weaponizing encryption, its more about bridging the fractures in the mind with a weaponized message that demands a response from the victim.
I've worked with a number of healthcare providers recently that have managed to stop a ransomware attack during the reconnaissance stage, sharing this information helps other organizations better understand what they should be looking for and developing better strategies for stopping ransomware.
Translations for ransomware
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"ransomware." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 23 Feb. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/ransomware>.
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