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The ransom is usually quite small (i.e. <1k), so it might be considered a 'cheap' lesson to learn that you should keep your software up-to-date and secure your

by LeonM 9y ago

The ransom is usually quite small (i.e. <1k), so it might be considered a 'cheap' lesson to learn that you should keep your software up-to-date and secure your network. (With the exception of 0-days, but you can't blame anyone falling victim to that) My point is, the ransomware is just 'prove' that your computer is insecure. If criminals can encrypt your files, they can also steal it (i.e. upload it somewhere). So in some sense, the ransomware creators expose vulnerabilities that would have otherwise gone unnoticed.

sarreph 9y ago
I'm not sure if you're trying to say that the ("cheap lesson to learn") should be paid or not; ≈$1,000 is a lot of money for most people. I think the shock of having to pay it is enough to have the same effect — those affected can then hopefully use the decryption tool without having to directly fund criminals.
- geofft 9y ago
  The target market of ransomware is supposedly businesses, not individual people—partly because businesses can afford the ransom and have clear incentives to get their data back reliably. I guess I have no idea who it targets in practice. Are there lots of individual home users who fall victim to ransomware?
  - yeukhon 9y ago
    Yes. WannaCry is one such. Randsomware is pretty common to home users in the past, at least. Back then it was quite easy to convince someone to click on “Warning! Your computer maybe infected! Try our software” pop-up. Then if your computer gets locked up, the screen will say “call tech support!” There was a claim against Kaspersky [1]. I don’t know if it is really true, but I personally believe that the AV industry does shady things out there, pay some blackhat to spread virus/malware, so consumers can rely on AV. [1]: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-kaspersky-rivals/exclusive-ex-employees-russian-antivirus-firm-faked-malware-to-harm-rivals-idUSKCN0QJ1CR20150814 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-kaspersky-rivals/exclusiv...
Fragoel2 9y ago
Ransoms are usually used to fuel other illegal activities, so paying it has some non-trivial implications and should be avoided
ebbv 9y ago
What? That's like saying robbers are doing you a favor because if they could come in and take your belongings they could also burn your house down or murder you. Criminals are criminals.
bunderbunder 9y ago
According to the BLS, $1k is more than a week's pay for most Americans with full-time jobs.[1] That's not even remotely cheap. 1: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/wkyeng.pdf https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/wkyeng.pdf

by LeonM 9y ago

sarreph 9y ago

I'm not sure if you're trying to say that the ("cheap lesson to learn") should be paid or not; ≈$1,000 is a lot of money for most people. I think the shock of having to pay it is enough to have the same effect — those affected can then hopefully use the decryption tool without having to directly fund criminals.

geofft 9y ago
The target market of ransomware is supposedly businesses, not individual people—partly because businesses can afford the ransom and have clear incentives to get their data back reliably. I guess I have no idea who it targets in practice. Are there lots of individual home users who fall victim to ransomware?
- yeukhon 9y ago
  Yes. WannaCry is one such. Randsomware is pretty common to home users in the past, at least. Back then it was quite easy to convince someone to click on “Warning! Your computer maybe infected! Try our software” pop-up. Then if your computer gets locked up, the screen will say “call tech support!” There was a claim against Kaspersky [1]. I don’t know if it is really true, but I personally believe that the AV industry does shady things out there, pay some blackhat to spread virus/malware, so consumers can rely on AV. [1]: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-kaspersky-rivals/exclusive-ex-employees-russian-antivirus-firm-faked-malware-to-harm-rivals-idUSKCN0QJ1CR20150814 https://www.reuters.com/article/us-kaspersky-rivals/exclusiv...

Fragoel2 9y ago

Ransoms are usually used to fuel other illegal activities, so paying it has some non-trivial implications and should be avoided

ebbv 9y ago

What? That's like saying robbers are doing you a favor because if they could come in and take your belongings they could also burn your house down or murder you. Criminals are criminals.

bunderbunder 9y ago

According to the BLS, $1k is more than a week's pay for most Americans with full-time jobs.[1] That's not even remotely cheap. 1: https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/wkyeng.pdf https://www.bls.gov/news.release/pdf/wkyeng.pdf