Hacker Lexicon: A Guide to Ransomware, the Scary Hack That’s on the Rise

(shimmery electronic dance music)

[Announcer] An erotic enthusiast finds his access to porn

isn't as mobile as he'd like,

so he ponders that 21st century question:

is there an app for that?

A dubious message from the FBI appears,

suspicious files have been found on his phone.

He's accessed forbidden porn sites.

A penalty of $500 is demanded.

He's told that if he makes any attempt

to unlock the device on his own, it's against the law.

But, he's done nothing wrong,

he's just the victim of a new and improved version

of an insidious old attack: ransomware.

Ransomware is malware that locks your keyboard,

your computer or your phone or encrypts your data,

that is, until you pay a ransom, usually in BitCoin.

In 2012, Symantec gained access to a server used

by one piece of ransomware called CryptoDefense.

After getting a glimpse at the hackers' haul

over just a single day,

Symantec estimated that $5 million is likely extorted

from victims each year.

Ransomware began in Russia and other parts of Eastern Europe

more than a decade ago and since then,

it's become increasingly professionalized.

Two years ago, a new tool arrived: Cryptolocker.

Cryptolocker is highly sophisticated ransomware

which uses public and private cryptographic keys

to lock and unlock a victim's files.

Cryptolocker sometimes spreads via an email purporting

to come from UPS or FedEx.

Victims are warned that if they don't pay within four days,

the decryption key will be destroyed

and no one will be able to unlock their files.

Today, dozens of variants, including Cryptolocker,

still prowl the internet.

No one is safe from an attack.

Even law enforcement agents have been ensnared.

Anti-virus can help detect some attempts

to infect you with ransomware, but not all.

The best defense against ransomware is

to regularly back up your files to an external device

and, of course, be careful where you click.