Is 2016 the year of online extortion?

An opinion piece on CNN by Arun Vishwanath, associate professor of communication, looks at the rise in ransomware attacks – malware that encrypts all the files on a computer, only releasing them when a ransom is paid to the hacker holding the encryption key – and measures that can be taken to prevent them, including training that helps people develop better “cyber hygiene.” “Perhaps the best way to look at the problem is this: How safe would we feel in a city where people are routinely being held hostage? Well, cyberspace is our space. And we have to make it safe,” he writes.

Read more:

http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/25/opinions/preventing-ransomware-attacks-vishwanath/index.html