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Essential Reading: What Is Ransomware?

Here’s what you need to know about the growing cybersecurity threat.

Alex Dalenberg

Read when you’ve got time to spare.

Ransomware attacks are on the rise. High-profile hacks this year on Colonial Pipeline and the beef supplier JBS SA have demonstrated the vulnerability of American infrastructure by threatening the country’s energy and food supplies. But the threat isn’t new. Hundreds of ransomware attacks happen everyday, costing tens of billions of dollars. Read on to learn what ransomware is, how ransomware gangs operate, why attacks are rising now, and how they can be stopped.

Why Ransomware Attacks Are Becoming a National Security Risk

The United States suffered 65,000 ransomware attacks last year – or over seven an hour. And it will likely get worse. What was previously seen as a nuisance is fast becoming a national security problem as cybercriminals target key parts of the country's infrastructure.

The Justice Department Is Taking the Fight to Ransomware Hackers

The Justice Department's seizure of more than $2 million from the Colonial Pipeline ransomware hackers represents one of the most substantial blows against organized cybercrime to date.

Why Ransomware Is So Dangerous and Hard to Stop

Recent high-profile “ransomware” attacks on the world’s largest meat-packing company and the biggest U.S. fuel pipeline have underscored how gangs of extortionist hackers can disrupt the economy and put lives and livelihoods at risk.

How to Protect Your Files From Ransomware

It's a growing threat for individual users and businesses alike—but there are ways to protect yourself.

Why the Ransomware Crisis Suddenly Feels So Relentless

Attacks on major companies and critical infrastructure have panicked the US, but the roots of the problem go back years.

How to Negotiate with Ransomware Hackers

Kurtis Minder finds the cat-and-mouse energy of outsmarting criminal syndicates deeply satisfying.

The Bizarre Story of the Inventor of Ransomware

The legacy of his crime persists to this day