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Scary Hacker Stories for Halloween
Ransomware is simply defined as any sort of malicious software that locks a device until a certain sum of money is paid. This year alone, hackers have been utilizing such Ransomware to gain large sums of money from all sorts of outlets.
Some of the major victims of these attacks were hospitals, political figures, and even yahoo. In a specific case, the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical center was essentially held hostage unless they paid $3.4 million dollars to the hackers. What’s even more horrific is that this hospital was one of 13 others that were also attacked.
Another major target of Ransomware attacks is political figures and I’m sure a particular case from 2016 comes to mind. Highly classified and sensitive emails were released post Democratic National Committee as well as the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. These leaks caused fear and panic not only to those involved, but also to the general public. These hackers have the capability of manipulating its victims and causing a ripple effect that leads to the general population.
Hackers are becoming increasingly more powerful and sneaky. With new tools being created on a regular basis, it is getting harder and harder to combat these attackers. It’s important to be careful of the websites you visit and what you click on, you never know what may be lurking inside.
Stay safe and have a great Halloween!
-AY
Source:
Hautala, Laura. “Slasher or Hacker? These 2016 hacks gave us nightmares.” Web Blog Post. Cnet, 29 October 2016. Web.
