Ransomware

#GS-03 Cyber Security

What is Ransomware:

Ransomware is malware that employs encryption to hold a victim’s information at ransom.
It is used to encrypt important documents or files within a system (Crypto ransomware) or simply lock the original user out of the system (Locker ransomware).
Unlike other cyber-attacks, in this form of attack, the user is notified of the attack.
The first ever recorded use of ransomware occurred as early as 1989 in the form of the AIDS Trojan.
However, this method gained prominence after the unleashing of the WannaCry Ransomware in 2017.

Ransomware-as-a-service is a cybercrime economic model that allows malware developers to earn money for their creations without the need to distribute their threats.
Non-technical criminals buy their wares and launch the infections, while paying the developers a percentage of their take.
The developers run relatively few risks, and their customers do most of the work.

Typically, cutting-edge malware like ransomware are polymorphic by design, which allows cybercriminals to easily bypass traditional signature-based security based on file hash.
Use of anonymous cryptocurrency for payment, such as bitcoin, makes it difficult to follow the money trail and track down criminals.

Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) is an organisation of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology with the objective of securing Indian cyberspace.
It is the nodal agency which deals with cybersecurity threats like hacking and phishing.
The “Cyber Swachhta Kendra” (Botnet Cleaning and Malware Analysis Centre) is being operated by Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) for analyzing BOTs/malware characteristics and providing information and enabling citizens for removal of BOTs/malware.
The National Cyber Security Coordinator, under the National Security Council Secretariat, coordinates with different agencies at the national level on cybersecurity issues.
National Critical Information Infrastructure Protection Centre has been set up for the protection of national critical information infrastructure.