1 Office of the Saskatchewan Information and Privacy Commissioner. Ransomware-What Everyone Should Know. Effective Sept. 2023. Ransomware – What Everyone Should Know Introduction Each year, thousands of Canadian individuals and businesses are impacted by cyber security incidents or crimes. The most common type of incident involves demands for ransomware payments, followed by threats to steal personal information or financial data. Most incidents do not include a motive. About half of the reported types of fraud are reported from victims of mass marketing fraud. The top reported types of fraud include phishing, extortion and personal information scams. Types of Ransomware There are two types of ransomware; each involves victims downloading a malicious ransomware program: 1. In the first type, the malicious program encrypts the victim’s files. This makes the files unreadable or unusable. Victims are asked to pay a ransom to decrypt the files. 2. In the second type, the victim’s files are transferred to the attacker. The victim must then pay a ransom to prevent their files from being shared on the open web. How Does a Ransomware Attack Happen Ransomware is typically spread through phishing emails. Phishing is where an attacker tricks the victim into sharing confidential information by entering it into sites that look legitimate. The intent is to obtain valid credentials or other personal information. Victims can also be targeted through text messages or by telephone. Ransomware is a type of malware that locks a victim’s data or device and threatens to keep it locked unless the victim pays.
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