Difference between revisions of "Ransomware"
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Ransomware is a category of [[Malware]] that is seen when a [[Trojan Horse]] takes over a computer and encrypts the victim's hard drive, charging money to decrypt it, hence the "ransom". | Ransomware is a category of [[Malware]] that is seen when a [[Trojan Horse]] takes over a computer and encrypts the victim's hard drive, charging money to decrypt it, hence the "ransom". | ||
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== First known case == | == First known case == | ||
| − | In 1989 the AIDS Trojan | + | In 1989 the AIDS Trojan was written, claiming to offer information about AIDS and HIV. When victims ran the program, the trojan would encrypt their HDD and display a message demanding money in exchange for a password that could be used to decrypt the hard disk and recover their files. If the user did not pay, the drive would remain encrypted indefinitely & the victim would not be able to access any of their files and/or programs. |
Revision as of 16:20, 1 February 2012
Ransomware is a category of Malware that is seen when a Trojan Horse takes over a computer and encrypts the victim's hard drive, charging money to decrypt it, hence the "ransom".
First known case
In 1989 the AIDS Trojan was written, claiming to offer information about AIDS and HIV. When victims ran the program, the trojan would encrypt their HDD and display a message demanding money in exchange for a password that could be used to decrypt the hard disk and recover their files. If the user did not pay, the drive would remain encrypted indefinitely & the victim would not be able to access any of their files and/or programs.
