Now , more than ever , a recent report suggests that India ranks second in ransomware attacks Attack.Ransom , this does not come as a surprise to many , especially the industry experts , considering that the country ’ s current state of digital security isn ’ t geared up to handle the emerging threats . It ’ s very likely that India tops the list soon , considering the rapid growth of ransomware . To compound it , the growth in “ Internet of Things ” ( IoT ) industry and the vulnerability towards cyber infections will further fuel new types of malware threats . We had reported earlier in our findings that over 180 Indian companies were victims of Ransomware online extortion schemes Attack.Ransom in the first six months of the year 2016 , causing a loss of whopping $ 3 billion . However , the latest industry reports show a rather grim picture around Ransomware - the findings indicate that businesses in India are most at risk to cyber security attacks globally , with organizations in the country experiencing the highest number of weekly security incidents of all Asian countries surveyed ( 14.8 per cent ) . At the heart of it , Ransomware is a class of malware that ’ s designed for moneymaking with clear criminal intent . The puzzling part about Ransomware is that , no matter what the situation is , even if the ransom is paid Attack.Ransom , there is no guarantee that computer users will be able to fully access their systems ever again . The criminal may flee with the money and the files- both ! While some hackers instruct Attack.Ransom victims to pay Attack.Ransom through Bitcoin , MoneyPak or other online methods , attackers could also demand Attack.Ransom credit card data , adding another level of financial loss altogether . Cryptolocker , Petya and Dogspectus are three of the major ransomware making their presence felt strongly . Just like kidnapping for ransom Attack.Ransom , it ’ s a virtual kidnapping Attack.Ransom of data where information is kept as a hostage and money is demanded Attack.Ransom in exchange of freeing the hostage . We all know how much damage a data breach Attack.Databreach can cost- monetarily as well as reputation wise . Once a ransomware attack Attack.Ransom strikes , clicking of files yield no results . The malware has corrupted Attack.Databreach the files and converted them into foreign MP3 files or an encrypted RSA format . And then , the victim gets a note in a text file or HTML file : “ Help_Decrypt_Your_Files ” . In a majority of the cases , once ransomware enters a system , there is no way a user can remove it without losing some files or data , even if one pay the ransom Attack.Ransom . Of late , ransomware has even left behind advanced persistent threat ( APT ) network attacks to grab the numero uno spot in the list of deadliest cyber crimes . Ransomware is fast evolving in form and increasing in number as well , thereby making it more difficult to protect against it . Each version has some properties that are unique to that version alone . This is scary because what is means is , if someone finds a solution to block or erase one version of a malware , that same solution may not work for the newer versions . However , a vast number of ransomware variants are still utilizing the same type of encryption technologies to infect systems . And what ’ s more , these encryption technologies are not just limited to common ones like Tor or I2P communication , but beyond

A new ransomware-as-a-service ( RaaS ) has reportedly emerged , offering cybercriminals on the dark web the option of using ransomware created by someone else in exchange for subscription payments . According to a report by ZDNet , independent security researcher going by the Twitter handle Xylitol uncovered the Satan malware as part of the Gen : Trojan.Heur2.FU malware family . Satan now however has been launched as part of a RaaS platform , which allows prospective cybercriminals access to ransomware in exchange for 30 % of the revenues generated . Once a victim has been infected with Satan via either malicious links or phishing campaigns Attack.Phishing , the victim 's files are encrypted and the attackers instruct Attack.Ransom the victims about ransom demands Attack.Ransom . Satan reportedly contains a HTML file that claims that restoring the encrypted files are impossible . According to researchers , this claim is not unfounded , indicating that the only way victims can regain access to their stolen files is by paying up the demanded ransom Attack.Ransom . Satan 's ransom note instructs Attack.Ransom victims to install the Tor browser and then redirected to an .onion link to make the ransom payments . The ransom amount varies according to the specification of the cybercriminals using the RaaS platform . Those interested in the RaaS ' services must connect a Bitcoin wallet to their account and point out a cost for decryption . Satan RaaS comes with several features , including fee payment records , transaction tracking , ransomware version releases and more . The platform provides hackers with tips on how to customise ransomware demands . Satan also helps hackers learn how to set up gateway proxies , and how to test their malware on systems . The platform also provides hackers with the option of translating their malware into different languages .