What is ransomware? Introducing its symptoms, infection routes, and countermeasures

Recently, ransomware infections have been increasing all over the world. Among malicious malware,Characteristic of “demanding ransom”It is known for. So, what symptoms occur when infected with ransomware, and how is the money demanded? In this article, we will explain about ransomware and introduce countermeasures before and after infection that can be helpful in case of an emergency.

What is ransomware?

Malware is a program that infects a computer and has a detrimental effect on the user. The "ransomware" explained in this article is a type of malware.RansomAs the word suggests, it is characterized by demanding a ransom from the user of the infected computer.

When infected with ransomwareData and files on your computer are encryptedThe user is then disabled and asked to pay a ransom in exchange for the restriction being removed.

The first characteristic of ransomware infection is the demand for ransom, but even infection alone can cause damage. when it gets infectedOnce data is encrypted, it becomes difficult to recover.about it. Since the data is rewritten using a proprietary encryption, it takes a lot of time and money to recover the data, and there is a possibility that the data will not be recovered.

It can be said to be a very troublesome situation for users if important data becomes unusable or the operation of the computer itself is interrupted.

Examples of ransomware that currently cause large scale damage in the world include:Including "WannaCry", "Petya", "GoldenEye"And so on.

The number of reports of these damages is increasing in Japan as well. The Information-technology Promotion Agency (IPA) frequently issues warnings and takes measures such as preparing special pages. If you notice any symptoms that seem familiar to you, we recommend that you research ways to deal with them.

As can be seen from the trends in the number of malware incidents,Its power is expanding day by day, and its behavior is getting worse..In order to continue protecting your precious computer from the threat of ransomware, you need to know how it works and take precautions in advance.

Ransomware infection route

In the previous chapter, we talked about how effective ransomware protection requires knowing how ransomware works. In this chapter, we will explain how ransomware infects computers.

The main infection vectors for ransomware, like other malware, are:Files and URLs attached to emails, websites and advertising pagesis. Ransomware is hidden inside these files, and users will be infected if they open them.

Additionally, even legitimate sites may have been rewritten to malicious ones by ransomware.It is dangerous to judge based on impressions alone.is.

If multiple computers are connected on a network, if one computer becomes infected, the infection may spread to other computers, so even if you are careful, you must take all possible precautions to prevent infection. I can't say that it is.

In this way, ransomware infection routes are hidden everywhere, and cannot be covered by the knowledge of a single user. Therefore,It is important to take thorough measures and establish a system that is difficult to be infected by ransomware.is.

Measures you can take before and after ransomware infection

Finally, we will introduce some measures you can take to protect your computer from ransomware, so please refer to them.

To prevent ransomware infection in advance, first of all,Introducing antivirus softwareAntivirus software is software that can prevent viruses from entering your computer and detect and remove them when they do. It is a very useful tool for malware prevention, but there is one thing to be aware of.Keep your software up to dateis.

Ransomware is constantly being developed to exploit vulnerabilities in existing software. If the features are out of date, they will be outclassed by the ransomware, so be sure to update the latest version as soon as it's available.

Using the same principle, it's a good idea to keep your computer's OS (operating system) up to date. Windows and Apple operating systems are inherently equipped with virus detection and defense functions. Therefore, simply keeping your OS up to date is effective as a basic infection control measure.

Other points to note when handling information:"Don't open emails or files you don't recognize" "Frequently back up important data"Please maintain this attitude.

Even if you take precautions when using your device, there is still a possibility that you will be infected by ransomware. If you are infected with ransomware, in order to remove it, please refer to theantivirus softwareuse.

Also,Possibility of decrypting encrypted files and data by using ransomware-specific decryption toolsThere is also.

However, there are cases in which these tools are unable to remove or decrypt the data, in which case you have no choice but to initialize your computer. Initializing will definitely remove the ransomware, but it will also erase all data stored on the hard disk. To avoid losing information and data in case of an emergency,Back up important data and save it to an external hard disk., etc.

lastly

How was it? Ransomware infections are increasing in number around the world. However, as mentioned above, ransomware infection routes are hidden everywhere, and the awareness of a single user cannot fully cover the spread of infection. Therefore, we take thorough measures such as installing antivirus software,First of all, it is important to ``establish a system that prevents infection.''is. Protect your computer from ransomware and stay safe while surfing the internet.

[Reference site]
・Protect your PC from ransomware │Microsoft
・Ransomware special measures page │IPA