Ransomware
Malicious software that encrypts files on computers and servers and demands a ransom to unlock them, often also threatening to publish stolen data.
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Why it matters
Ransomware can stop a business within hours: ordering, accounting and production systems become unusable at once. Attackers now copy the data before encrypting it, so restoring from backup does not undo the leak. Attacks usually start through phishing, weak remote-access passwords and unpatched systems.
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Example
An office's remote desktop is open to the internet with a weak password. The attacker gets in, spends weeks finding and deleting backups, then encrypts every file. With a backup kept off the network, the systems could have been restored without paying.
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Common mistake
Believing that paying the ransom will fix everything. Payment guarantees neither a working key nor the deletion of stolen data; backups and expert help should be assessed first, and legal notification duties must not be forgotten.
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Related terms
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