Top 10 Cyber Incidents In 2013
#4. Ransomware
‘Ransomware’ programs operate like a computer-specific ‘denial-of-service’ attack – they block access to a computer’s file system, or they encrypt data files stored on the computer. One such common ransomware program is the Cryptolocker Trojan which downloads a RSA public key from its command-and-control (C2) server.
A unique key is created for each new victim and only the authors have access to the decryption keys. To connect to the C2 server, Cryptolocker uses a domain generation algorithm that products 1,000 unique candidate domain names every day. The cybercriminals give their victims only three days to pay up – and they reinforce their message with scary wallpaper that warns them that if they don’t pay up in time their data will be gone forever. They accept different forms of payment, including Bitcoin. The most affected countries are the UK and US, distantly followed by India, Canada and Australia.
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