Ransomware and Modern Threats

Ransomware has emerged as one of the most lucrative and disruptive forms of malware, causing immense damage globally. This chapter delves into the inner workings of modern ransomware threats, exploring how they encrypt victims’ data, communicate with command and control servers, and demand payment. It further discusses recent trends in ransomware development, such as double extortion tactics and ransomware as a service (RaaS). By the end of the chapter, you will understand the mechanics of these modern threats and have learned how to develop effective defenses against them, as well as how to analyze ransomware for potential vulnerabilities.

In this chapter, we’re going to cover the following main topics:

• Introduction to ransomware and modern threats
• Analysis of ransomware techniques
• Case studies of notorious ransomware and modern threats
• Mitigation and recovery strategies