Ransomware

noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Malware that holds the data of a computer user for ransom, usually requiring or claiming to require payment to restore access. uncountable

    "The amount of money generated by ransomware schemes would appear to be quite small given their lack of popularity and the asking price in ransom notes […]"

  2. 2
    malicious software that makes a computer unusable unless a payment is made to the attacker wordnet
  3. 3
    Software that is released as open source only in exchange for payment. derogatory, uncountable

    "[I]n some situations, the source code of COTS may be escrowed and released under a free software or open source license when the original developer (or supplier) no longer continues to develop that software or if stipulated fundraising conditions are met. This model is referred to as the ransom model of software publishing and the software is known as ransomware."

Synonyms

All synonyms
cryptoransomware

Example

More examples

"This company was hit by a ransomware attack."

Etymology

From ransom + -ware.

Related phrases

open source

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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.