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. Eireann Leverett:

   We've seen an unprecedented amount of ransomware attacks in 2019.

2. Allan Liska:

   In general, the ransomware actors have gotten more bold and more ruthless.

3. Jeh Johnson:

   The cyber threat to our country is going to get worse before it gets better, bad cyber actors — whether they’re nation states, cyber criminals, hacktivists, those who engage in ransomware — are increasingly aggressive, tenacious and ingenious.

4. Rob Portman:

   From SolarWinds to recent ransomware attacks against critical infrastructure, it's clear that cyberattacks are going to keep coming and it is unacceptable that our own federal agencies are not doing everything possible to safeguard America's data.

5. Anne Neuberger:

   The most important takeaway from the recent spate of ransomware attacks on US, Irish, German and other organizations around the world is that companies that view ransomware as a threat to their core business operations rather than a simple risk of data theft will react and recover more effectively.

References

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