The victim sends the asymmetric ciphertext and e-money to the attacker. It puts up a message to the user that includes the asymmetric ciphertext and how to pay the ransom. It zeroes the symmetric key and the original plaintext data to prevent recovery. This is known as hybrid encryption and it results in a small asymmetric ciphertext as well as the symmetric ciphertext of the victim’s data. It uses the public key in the malware to encrypt the symmetric key. To carry out the cryptoviral extortion attack, the malware generates a random symmetric key and encrypts the victim’s data with it.The attacker generates a key pair and places the corresponding public key in the malware.Ransomware, on the other hand, which is also called “ cryptoviral extortion ”, uses the following protocol: In a public-key encryption system, the public key is used for encryption, while the private or secret key is used for decryption. In public-key cryptosystems, the public key may be freely distributed, while its paired private key must remain secret. Instead, both keys are generated secretly, as an interrelated pair. A public key system is so constructed that calculation of one key (the ‘private key’) is computationally infeasible from the other (the ‘public key’), even though they are necessarily related. In this case, two different but mathematically related keys are used-a public key and a private key. In 1976, the notion of public or asymmetric-key cryptography appeared. It comes from the cryptography domain – “the practice and study of techniques for secure communication in the presence of third parties called adversaries.” Symmetric-key cryptography, the only encryption type generally known until June 1976, is an encryption method in which the sender of the communication and the receiver share the same key. A key element (pun intended) in understanding how Crypto viruses and ransomware work is the concept of keys. There is also a time limit in which the money can be paid before the files are ultimately destroyed for good. A Crypto virus encrypts files on the computers it infects and then broadcasts a message in which a fine is demanded in order to regain access to the files. Note that under this definition, a virus that uses a symmetric key and not a public key is not a cryptovirus. Crypto trojans and crypto worms are the same as crypto viruses, except they are Trojan horses and worms, respectively. Crypto viruses may utilize secret sharing to hide information and may communicate by reading posts from public bulletin boards. For instance, a virus or worm may generate and use its own key pair at run-time. Usually, the public key belongs to the author of the virus, though there are other possibilities as well. What is Crypto Virus? Crypto Virus Definitionīy definition, a Crypto Virus is a computer virus that contains and uses a public key. There is no guarantee that, if the victim pays the ransom, he/she will get the decryption key. Usually, there is also a time-limit for the ransom to be paid. After the infection happens, the victim receives a message that tells him/her that a certain amount of money must be paid (usually in Bitcoins) in order to get the decryption key. Ransomware, on the other hand, is a type of malware (malicious software) which encrypts all the data on a PC or mobile device, blocking the data owner’s access to it. Viruses can steal data, destroy information, log keystrokes and more. Computer viruses are designed to harm computers and information systems and can spread through the Internet, through malicious downloads, infected email attachments, malicious programs, files, or documents. Once this happens, these elements will become infected. A virus needs human intervention to run and it can copy itself into other computer programs, data files, or in certain sections of your computer, such as the boot sector of the hard drive. Viruses can be defined as follows: A computer virus is a type of malicious software capable of self-replication. This type of ill-intentioned software can disrupt normal computer operations, harvest confidential information, obtain unauthorized access to computer systems, display unwanted advertising and more. Malware is the umbrella that accommodates all these terms, as we also mention in our Cybersecurity Glossary : This is a short version for “malicious software” and it works as an umbrella term that refers to software that is defined by malicious intent. Understanding what the terms virus, worm and malware refer to is the perfect starting point for understanding how the Crypto Virus (and other ransomware) works, so let us have a closer look. A few months ago, my colleague Bianca Soare wrote a very comprehensive article on what virus and worm mean.
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