What is Ransomware?
Ransomware is a type of malware which encrypts your personal files and sells the decryption key back to you for a ransom, normally in the range of hundreds to thousands of dollars.
Although the earliest examples of what could be considered modern ransomware date back to the beginning of 2012, ransomware became a widespread phenomenon towards the end of 2013 with the release of CryptoLocker.
The dramatic rise of ransomware can be explained by a combination of several factors: the ease at which criminals can deploy a working system, an increase in the use of Tor and bitcoin, as well as its high and immediate return on investment.
