14 DAY TRIAL // Ransomware helps cybercriminals make millions of dollars each year. While the crooks can earn a lot of money from regular Internet users, companies can also be a lucrative target.
A perfect example is a recent attack against FOX21, the reality television production arm of 20th Century Fox.
Details are scarce, but according to a report from FOX21 News, it appears that a piece of ransomware has infected the organization’s email server.
In many cases, ransomware is designed simply to lock the computer’s screen until a ransom is paid. However, in this instance, it appears the malware encrypted the files from the server, instructing the company to pay a $5,000 (€3,800) to get the data back.
Fortunately, FOX21 engineers have managed to restore the email system.
While in most cases, it’s impossible to recover files encrypted by ransomware – because highly efficient encryption algorithms are utilized – in the most fortunate scenarios, the encryption can be broken without too much hassle.