Ransomware-Extorsion on the increase

A new generation of attack is on the increase. Use of the internet attack for extorsion "Ransomware".

Ransomware is the followup to: phishing, pharming attacks, this type of attack goes beyond plan fraud and tries to extort money from the victim.

It starts with hijacking or stealing user files, encrypting them (so the user loses access to vital information), then demanding payment in exchange for the decryption key.

So far theses attacks are quite rare but it brings a new dimenssion to the usage of the internet and a new generation of attac.

A variation on this attacks consists in performing a Distributed Denial of Service Attack DDOS. More details about this type of attack can be found here:
"Extortion via DDoS on the rise"