Ransomware

This company was hit by a ransomware attack.

Ransomware attacks block access to vital data and are described as being targeted, more profitable for the attackers and causing greater economic damage to private and public entities.

The report, called the Internet Organized Crime Threat Assessment, cited the 2019 "GermanWiper" ransomware as an example of the harm it can bring. That ransomware replaced the files of German companies, making them unrecoverable.

Local governments in the United States, like the cities of Atlanta and Baltimore, have fallen victim to ransomware.

Cybercrime has exploded, with mounting reports of an increase in ransomware attacks.

Cyber criminals could soon unleash a wave of ransomware attacks targeting U.S. hospitals and health care providers, according to a statement released by three federal agencies.

Attackers using 'ransomware' encrypt files on mobile devices or PCs and lock out their users until they comply with a demand to pay ransom.

Europe’s international law enforcement agency said Wednesday ransomware outpaced all other forms of cybercrime in 2017, making it the most dangerous current online threat.

Aside from government action, the Biden administration has called on private businesses, which most often are blindsided by the ransomware attacks, to modernize their cyber defenses to meet the threat.

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 […]

Garmin has been forced to shut down its call centres, website and some other online services after a ransomware attack encrypted the smartwatch maker’s internal network and some production systems.

Last March, Trenitalia, the Italian state-owned railway, suffered a major ransomware attack on its ticketing system, which disrupted sales at stations as well as passenger information screens.

Cybersecurity firm Semperis found that 86% of surveyed organizations in the United States, United Kingdom, France and Germany that faced ransomware attacks were targeted on a holiday or weekend.

[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.