THE perpetual cat-and-mouse game between computer hackers and their targets is getting nastier. Cybercriminals are getting better at circumventing firewalls and antivirus programs. More of them are resorting to ransomware, which encrypts computer data and holds it hostage until a fee is paid. . Some hackers plant virus-loaded ads on legitimate websites, enabling them to remotely wipe a hard drive clean or cause it to overheat. Meanwhile, companies are being routinely targeted by attacks sponsored by the governments of Iran and China. Even small start-ups are suffering from denial-of-service extortion attacks, in which hackers threaten to disable their websites unless money is paid. The link for this article located at NY Times is no longer available. . Some hackers plant virus-loaded ads on legitimate websites, enabling them to remotely wipe a hard dr. perpetual, cat-and-mouse, between, computer, hackers, their, targets, getting, nastier. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
Online criminals are turning away from threatening companies with massive cyberattacks in favour of encrypting a victim's data and demanding money to release it, an antivirus expert claimed on Tuesday. Eugene Kaspersky, head of antivirus research at Russia's Kaspersky Labs, told the RSA Conference in San Francisco that the use of so-called "ransomware Trojans" is a key trend for 2007. . This malware infects a PC, encrypts some data, and then displays an alert telling the victim to send money to get the decryption key needed to access their data again. Such malware isn't new. Early examples include Cryzip, discovered in March 2006, and GPCode, discovered in May 2005. The link for this article located at ZDNet UK is no longer available. . Digital malefactors are progressively employing ransomware to seize and lock data, coercing victims into paying to regain access. Discover further details about this alarming trend.. Ransomware Attacks, Data Encryption, Cybercrime Strategies, Online Extortion. . LinuxSecurity.com Team
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