While American companies have been targeted in recent high-profile cyberattacks, individual people — anyone who uses the internet — can also be at risk.
Criminal organizations behind ransomware attacks don't care if the victim is an individual or a business, they just want to get paid. Ransomware is often obtained through social engineering — an act of someone stealing personal data by using information gleaned from their social media account — phishing emails or getting someone to click on a link on a website. It's especially prevalent on pornography and pirate websites that promise free viewing. Ransomware kits are also sold on the dark web, a part of the internet not detected by search engines where cybercriminals often sell and buy illicit materials.
So what should you do if you've fallen victim? The FBI's general guidance is that victims should not pay a ransom.
"The FBI does not support paying a ransom in response to a ransomware attack," according to the FBI website. "Paying a ransom doesn't guarantee you or your organization will get any data back. It also encourages perpetrators to target more victims and offers an incentive for others to get involved in this type of illegal activity."
If a hacker gets a credit card number and goes on a shopping spree, a bank can often reverse the charges, but the use of cryptocurrency makes funds nearly impossible to get back. Some common malware infections can be reversed with existing cybersecurity tools but many cannot.
"Ransomware groups evolve their tactics generally when they see that cybersecurity tools can counter them," said Michela Menting, research director at ABI Research. Some security researchers have tools to decrypt ransomware, but they're not always reliable because many ransomware versions exist.
People who are hit with ransomware should treat their computer as though it's compromised even after it's been unlocked. "This is because you do not know what changes the ransomware made to the system when it was infected," Randall Magiera, cybersecurity expert and professor of information technology at Tulane University, said.
He suggested erasing the computer's hard drive and reinstalling the entire operating system rather than selecting the option that restores files.
Even though it's hard to track down the criminals and prosecute them, anyone targeted should report the crime to police officials, according to Menting. "The greater the number of incidents reported, the more visibility this provides to law enforcement, which eventually leads to bigger budget allocation for fighting it," she said.