Ransomware attacks have become increasingly common in recent years. Statistics show that over 600 million ransomware attacks were recorded in 2021, compared to just over 300 million in the year prior. While ransomware itself is a type of malware, it’s often carried out in conjunction with a trojan.
Ransomware Defined
Ransomware is defined as any type of malware that locks, encrypts or otherwise restricts file access in an effort to extort money or compensation from the victim. It’s designed specifically to infect storage drives. Ransomware will infect a storage drive, after which it will restrict access to the stored files.
If your computer’s storage drive is infected with ransomware, you won’t be able to access some or all of your files. Instead, you’ll see a ransom message. Ransom messages are typically displayed as pop-ups. They will appear over any existing windows. In this pop-up, you’ll see a ransom message. The ransom message will ask you to pay money or cryptocurrency to regain access to your files.
All forms of malware are troubling, but ransomware is particularly dangerous for the following reasons:
- Can render your computer or device useless
- Typically uses cryptography to encrypt files
- Difficult to prevent and even more difficult to remove
Why Ransomware Attacks Use a Trojan
Many ransomware attacks use a trojan. Trojans and ransomware, of course, are two different types of malware. Ransomware is malware that restricts file access while displaying a ransom message. A trojan, on the other hand, is malware disguised as a real, legitimate program.
Ransomware attacks often use a trojan so that they can infect victims’ storage drives. Trojans essentially allow ransomware to target devices and, thus, perform their malicious file-restricting processes.
As long as you don’t download ransomware, you typically won’t have to worry about it infecting your storage drive. You may unknowingly download ransomware, however, in the form of a trojan. Trojans are disguised as real, legitimate programs. You may think you are downloading an official piece of software from a trusted vendor, only for it to infect your storage drive with ransomware. The piece of software might be trojan. And trojans can consist of ransomware that’s hidden within other types of software.
In Conclusion
Ransomware may use a trojan to infect victims’ storage drives. Hackers will bundle the ransomware with other software, after which they’ll disguise the bundled software as being legitimate. If you happen to download this software, it may infect your storage drive with ransomware.