Ransomware Cyber Attacks

Ransomware is a virus that prevents a user of personal access to files or even their systems, demanding a ransom payment to reclaim access. It is secretly installed in a computer without the user's authorization, thus encrypting data that is in the computer of the victim. The decryption of the victim’s data requires paying ransom in return. Ransomware cyber-attacks can lead to data loss since the process of decrypting this data can either cause the data to be corrupted and even lost while the victim makes attempts to restore or decrypt data without the permission of the hacker. In addition, data is lost if the victim fails to meet the demands of the ransom. The hackers can even decide to sell the data to another company or party willing to buy it, thus data breach. 

I believe that ransomware should be treated as cybercrime. Individuals who are experienced in the cybercrime attacks, and who resolve these issues are in a position to use their IT skills to find these criminals. Ransomware also brings down businesses as their data is bleached and negatively affected, and a solution to this problem is vital. The ransomware issue today has surpassed the issue of drug trafficking, as the advancement in technology has also helped these hackers advance in their game (Mohurle & Patil, 2017) . The ransom that the hackers ask for in return if they decrypt data, and finding ransomware as a profitable market implies that ransomware should be viewed as cybercrime. Ransomware has possible consequences for both the hacker and the victim. The victim's data can leak, and end up on the wrong hands, thus breaching an organization's privacy. Also, ransomware can result in data loss for the company. On the other hand, the hacker can be jailed if they are caught after risking an organization’s privacy and data loss. 

References 

Mohurle, S., & Patil, M. (2017). A brief study of wannacry threat: Ransomware attack 2017.  International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer Science ,  8 (5).