To πρώτο ransomware που έχει καταγραφεί, ήταν το 1989 με το AIDS Trojan. Ήταν επίσης γνωστό και σαν PS Cyborg. Ο βιολόγος Joseph L. Popp από το Harvard, φέρεται να έστειλε 20,000 μολυσμένες δισκέτες με τίτλο “AIDS Information – Introductory Diskettes” στους συμμετέχοντες στο συνέδριο World Health Organization’s international AIDS conference.
After a few (90) reboots, the Trojan hid directories and encrypted file names on computers. In order for victims to regain access to their files, they had to send $189 to PC Cyborg Corp. in a post office του Panama. Ο Dr. Popp συνελήφθη αλλά δεν δικάστηκε ποτέ, λόγω ακαταλόγιστου. Ο δικηγόρος του ανέφερε ότι άρχισε να φοράει μια χαρτόκουτα σαν καπέλο, για να προστατευτεί από την ραδιenergy....
Ransomware has been around for more than a decade, but in recent years it has become real problem. In its early days, the victims were mostly home users who "accidentally" clicked on a fake attachment that came with an email message.
They found him soon after computer them locked away, along with their files and family photos. However, over the past couple of years, the targeting has shifted to businesses, which have more computers, more data to encrypt and, of course, deeper pockets to pay the ransom.
But now that the UK's National Center for Cyber Security has described it attack WannaCry like “global coordinated ransomware attack”In thousands of private and public organizations in dozens of countries, we can understand that the ransomware took a step - below. It has become a threat to nations and not just individuals and businesses.
What makes ransomware so effective is that it targets what's really important: data. Whether it's wedding photos, or invoices for one companys, the malicious software may lack sophistication, but it encrypts anything it can find.
This development has not gone unnoticed: both former NSA chief Admiral Michael Rogers and US National Intelligence Director Dan Coats have reported the dangers of ransomware in recent US Senate committee talks.
Of course none of them expected the immediate confirmation of their speeches that came true with WannaCry's global assault last week.
Rogers warned that in the past year the US has received increased ransomware attacks on individuals and businesses. Although these attacks are typically considered standardized issues for the FBI, Rogers reported that ransomware attacks are something that could cause damage to military infrastructure (PDF).
The irony: The WannaCry ransomware was so powerful because of it exploit της NSA, πουη διαρροή του έγινε όταν ήταν επικεφαλής ο Rogers. Αυτό αντικατοπτρίζει το περίπλοκο σύνολο των factors which form the basis of WannaCry's effectiveness.
The evaluation of threats worldwide (PDF) submitted by Coats to the committee also showed that ransomware has become a highly popular blackmail tool, noting that criminals who spread the ransomware have turned to the medical field.
Running 50 with different variants of ransomware, and as WannaCry shows, it's relatively easy to add new features that can make any malware even more powerful. In this case, what made it so effective was the ability of malware to spread from computer to computer without user intervention.
Some security companies and authorities are trying to build defenses, making it easier to remove ransomware - for example, the initiative No More Ransom which hosts a set of tools that can unlock the encrypted data of victims without having to pay ransom.
But the difficulty is in finding and persecuting those behind the ransomware attacks. The ease with which they can now be attacked globally means that ransomware can be comfortable in the foreseeable future.
