Virus Spyware and Ransomware

Software that allows a user to gain confidential information about the computer activities of another by secretly passing data from the target machine's hard disk to the user's own.

Here are some examples of spyware:

Many spyware programs have been rendered obsolete as a direct result of the gradual but steady development of various cybersecurity technologies over the years. On the other hand, newer and more complex varieties of spyware have evolved. The following are some of the most well-known instances of spyware:

This malware, known as CoolWebSearch, would take advantage of the security flaws present in Internet Explorer in order to take control of the browser, alter its settings, and transfer surfing data to the person who created the program.

This application would track the victim's web browsing behavior and exploit the information to offer them with more relevant advertisements. Gator is often packaged with file-sharing software such as Kazaa.

Internet Optimizer was an application that claimed to assist enhance internet speeds. It was particularly popular in the days when dial-up was still common. Instead, it would include advertising on every single error page as well as the login page.

TIBS Dialer was a modem hijacker that would disconnect the victim's computer from a local phone line and connect them to a toll number that was built for visiting pornographic websites. This was done in order to steal money from the victim.

This software, which is also known as the Zlob Trojan, takes use of flaws in the ActiveX codec in order to download itself onto a computer and record a user's keystrokes in addition to their search and browsing history.

A kind of malicious software known as ransomware is aimed to restrict access to a computer's data or operating system in exchange for a predetermined quantity of money. The vast majority of ransomware strains encrypt the user's data on the compromised computer, rendering them inaccessible, and then demand a ransom payment to decrypt the contents.

A Few Illustrations of Ransomware

One of the most established kinds of online assaults, known as the CryptoLocker botnet, has been active for the better part of the last twenty years. The original CryptoLocker botnet strategy was adapted by cybercriminals and employed in ransomware for the first time in 2013, giving rise to the CyptoLocker malware. As a result of its use of robust encryption methods, the CyptoLocker ransomware is the kind of ransomware that does the greatest damage. Without paying the demanded fee, it is often difficult to decrypt (rescue) the computer and data that have been infected by Crypto ransomware.

WannaCry - WannaCry is the version of ransomware that has gained the greatest notoriety all around the world. Nearly 125,000 companies spread across more than 150 countries have been affected with the WannaCry malware. WCry and WanaCrypt0r are two of the nicknames that have been given to the ransomware that goes by the moniker WannaCry.

Bad Rabbit is another strain of the ransomware family that has attacked businesses in Eastern Europe and Russia. Bad Rabbit has been dubbed "the rabbit." It often spreads via a false Adobe Flash update that is hosted on websites that have been hijacked.

Users of cloud-based services like Office 365 are the intended victims of another ransomware strain known as Cerber. An extensive phishing effort orchestrated by the Cerber ransomware has been successful in tricking millions of Office 365 customers into handing up their credentials.

Crysis is a specialized kind of ransomware that encrypts information across a variety of storage mediums, including fixed disks, portable drives, and network drives. Malicious email attachments with a double-file extension are how the virus is disseminated. Because it employs robust encryption techniques, it is very difficult to decode within a reasonable length of time.

The ransomware known as CryptoWall is a sophisticated variant of the CryptoLocker family. After the failure of the first CryptoLocker variation, which occurred around the beginning of 2014, this one has been around since then. There are now numerous distinct flavors of CryptoWall available on the market. It comes with CryptoDefense, CryptoBit, both versions 2.0 and 3.0 of CryptoWall, and CryptoWall.

GoldenEye - This ransomware, also known as GoldenEye, is quite similar to the notorious Petya malware. It does this by launching a huge operation of social engineering that specifically targets departments of human resources. When a user downloads a file that is infected with GoldenEye, it stealthily begins a macro on the victim's computer that encrypts data on the machine.

Jigsaw is one of the most devastating forms of ransomware. It encrypts data and then deletes them in stages until the ransom is paid. Jigsaw is one of the most common varieties of ransomware. It then begins to erase the files one after the other on an hourly basis until the 72-hour mark, at which point it deletes all of the files that are still there.

Another kind of ransomware, known as Locky, is meant to lock the computer of the victim and prevent them from using it until a ransom is paid. Locky may be downloaded on the Internet. It often propagated by an email message that seemed to be harmless and was disguised as an invoice. When a user opens the attachment that was sent in an email, the invoice is immediately destroyed, and the victim is instructed to turn on macros in order to view the document. Locky will start encrypting several file formats using AES encryption as soon as the victim allows macros. Other ransomware variations that are well-known for their harmful actions include Petya, NotPetya, TeslaCrypt, TorrentLocker, ZCryptor, and many more. The list of ransomware that was described above is just a small portion of the malware that exists.