Definitions for ransomware
ran·somware

WiktionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. ransomwarenoun

   Malware that holds the data of a computer user for ransom.

2. ransomwarenoun

   Software that is released as open source only in exchange for payment.

WikipediaRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. 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.

How to pronounce ransomware?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say ransomware in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of ransomware in Chaldean Numerology is: 9

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of ransomware in Pythagorean Numerology is: 1

Examples of ransomware in a Sentence

1. James Scott:

   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.

2. Jason Healey:

   The concern at [ the Department of Homeland Security ] and the Pentagon will be that ransomware will hit at the county and state level to disable voting registers, vote tallying and reporting, and result reporting, election machines themselves should be harder [ to compromise ], as they're less connected.

3. Barry Shteiman:

   To detect ransomware early enough to stop it, cybersecurity teams must understand the business models used by ransomware network operators, as well as have visibility into the kill chain of a ransomware attack, and how to detect and disrupt ransomware in corporate environments.

4. Brett Callow:

   Ransomware is a multi-million-dollar problem for the education sector, but its impact is more than financial, attacks also disrupt kids' educations and cause personal information relating to both students and teachers to leak online.

5. Recorded Future:

   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.

References

1. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Ransomware
2. ^ Wikipedia
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ransomware