- Ransomware is a type of malware
- It restricts user access to his computer files until a ransom is paid to unlock it
- The files in the infected computers gets locked up in such a way that the user cannot access them anymore.
- It then demands payment in cryptocurrency Bitcoin to retrieve the locked files.
- Why in news?
- A Ransomware named WannaCry has attacked 75,000 computers worldwide in 99 countries.
- WannaCry has used a hacking tool named Eternal Blue
- The hacking tool Eternal Blue gives unprecedented access to all computers using Microsoft Windows.
- It was developed by NSA to gain access to computers used by terrorists and enemy states.