What happens to the ransomware after it’s used?
Ransomware is a type of malicious software that encrypts a victim’s files, making them inaccessible, and demands a ransom payment in order to decrypt the files. Ransomware is a growing threat to businesses and individuals as it becomes more sophisticated and widespread.
Once ransomware is used to encrypt a victim’s files, the victim typically has two options: pay the ransom and hope to receive the decryption key, or don’t pay the ransom and lose access to their files forever. There is no guaranteed way to decrypt files without the ransom key, and even then there is no guarantee that the files will be successfully decrypted.
Paying the ransom does not guarantee that the files will be successfully decrypted, but it does incentivize the attacker to provide the decryption key. The ransom typically must be paid in cryptocurrency, which makes it difficult to trace the payment back to the victim. Additionally, even if the ransom is paid, the victim may not receive the decryption key or may receive a key that does not work.
If the victim decides not to pay the ransom, they will lose access to their files forever. There is no guaranteed way to decrypt files without the ransom key, and even if a third party was able to decrypt the files, the victim would have no guarantee that the files are the same as the originals or have not been tampered with.
In either case, it is important for victims to have backups of their files so that they can recover their data if their files are encrypted by ransomware. Backups should be stored offline and in a different location from the originals to avoid them being encrypted as well.Official source
How do victims usually end up paying the attackers?
In most cases, victims of cyber attacks end up paying the attackers in one way or another. This is often done through the use of ransomware, where the attacker will encrypt the victim’s files and demand a ransom be paid in order to decrypt them. Other times, attackers may directly demand a ransom from the victim. In some cases, victims may be tricked into paying the attacker through phishing scams or other social engineering techniques. Finally, attackers may also monetize their attacks by selling the stolen data on the black market.
We used malwarezero.org to write this article about ransomware. Site link.