'No More Ransom', an international initiative to fight cybercrime
Posted: Mon Jan 27, 2025 3:37 am
Have you ever been a victim of ransomware or is this a new term for you? If you don't know what it means, you're in luck. Ransomware is a combination of the English words ransom and ware . It involves the kidnapping of information from a computer device in exchange for the payment of a ransom.
Combating this form of cybercrime is a priority for police around the world . So much so that the 'No More Ransom' project has been created . An initiative promoted by the National High Tech Crime Unit of the Dutch police, the European Cybercrime Centre of Europol and McAfeese, and of which Spain is a part. The aim is to help victims of ransomware recover their encrypted data without having to pay the criminals. But also, since it is easier to avoid the threat than to reverse it once the system has been attacked, the aim is to educate users on how this crime works and what measures to take to prevent it.
What is ransomware?
There are different types of ransomware. They encrypt personal files and folders and delete the originals once encrypted so that users are presented with a text file with instructions to follow to student data make the payment; they block the computer screen and request payment; they modify the startup of the operating system and a ransom order appears on the screen; or they encrypt web servers or mobile devices, mainly Android, through the download of unofficial apps.
A ransomware attack is typically delivered via an email attachment. Once the attachment is opened, the malware infects the system and operates stealthily in the background until a system or data locking mechanism is deployed. It is at this point that the user becomes aware of the attack as a dialog box appears informing them that their data has been locked and a ransom is requested to unlock it.
Preventive measures against ransomware
Prevention is the key to avoiding becoming a victim of this type of cybercrime, which between April 2015 and March 2016 affected some 718,000 users worldwide. To prevent a ransomware attack, put the following recommendations into practice:
Make a backup of all your data. This way, if your computer is infected, your data will be safe. In addition, experts recommend making two backups: one to store in the cloud and another on a physical device.
Combating this form of cybercrime is a priority for police around the world . So much so that the 'No More Ransom' project has been created . An initiative promoted by the National High Tech Crime Unit of the Dutch police, the European Cybercrime Centre of Europol and McAfeese, and of which Spain is a part. The aim is to help victims of ransomware recover their encrypted data without having to pay the criminals. But also, since it is easier to avoid the threat than to reverse it once the system has been attacked, the aim is to educate users on how this crime works and what measures to take to prevent it.
What is ransomware?
There are different types of ransomware. They encrypt personal files and folders and delete the originals once encrypted so that users are presented with a text file with instructions to follow to student data make the payment; they block the computer screen and request payment; they modify the startup of the operating system and a ransom order appears on the screen; or they encrypt web servers or mobile devices, mainly Android, through the download of unofficial apps.
A ransomware attack is typically delivered via an email attachment. Once the attachment is opened, the malware infects the system and operates stealthily in the background until a system or data locking mechanism is deployed. It is at this point that the user becomes aware of the attack as a dialog box appears informing them that their data has been locked and a ransom is requested to unlock it.
Preventive measures against ransomware
Prevention is the key to avoiding becoming a victim of this type of cybercrime, which between April 2015 and March 2016 affected some 718,000 users worldwide. To prevent a ransomware attack, put the following recommendations into practice:
Make a backup of all your data. This way, if your computer is infected, your data will be safe. In addition, experts recommend making two backups: one to store in the cloud and another on a physical device.