What is Crypto Ransomware and Locker Ransomware

Ransomware is undoubtedly one of the most dangerous threats that we can find on the Internet. It is something that has become very popular for cybercriminals, since they can obtain an economic benefit at the cost of infecting the victims, who are both private users and companies. However we can find different types. In this article we are going to explain what is crypto ransomware and what is locker ransomware . They are two varieties that, although they have the same objective, do not act the same. We will explain what they consist of.

What is crypto ransomware

On the one hand we have what is known as crypto ransomware. In this case, what this malware does is encrypt the files on a computer. The victim would not be able to open their documents, as they have previously been identified by ransomware and encrypted so that it is impossible to open them without knowing the decryption key.

Crypto Ransomware and Locker Ransomware

The hackers are going to ask for a cheap ransom , a payment, to offer the ability to decrypt those files. Without that password they would not be able to access them normally. Payment is normally made in cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin.

There are many varieties of crypto ransomware. Some of the most popular ones are Locky or WannaCry. They aim to encrypt the files on the infected system. These types of threats normally infect through malicious files that the victim opens. They can also take advantage of possible vulnerabilities that are present on that computer.

What is the ransomware locker

Another variety is what is known as locker ransomware. We have seen that the previous chaos, the crypto ransomware, sought to encrypt files on a system. In this case, what the ransomware locker does is block access to a device . For example, it would prevent a user from entering your computer.

Without a doubt we are facing a very important problem, since we could not join our team. Not just simply accessing the files, but in this case we could not enter the system. What it does is lock the user interface.

As in the previous case, in exchange for allowing the victim to enter they will ask for a financial ransom. Once the payment is made, at least on paper, they would deliver the encryption to be able to access that system normally.

They also usually infect through malicious files that reach the victim, such as a Word or PDF. From there and once it is executed, the attack process ends with encrypting the computer.

An example is Reveton ransomware. Prevents the victim from logging on to their computer. This is, as we see, the main objective of the ransomware locker.

Ataques de ransomware en los pequeños negocios

How to avoid becoming victims of ransomware

We can say that the tips that we are going to mention are common to the two varieties that we have explained. For both crypto ransomware and locker ransomware, we can take into account a series of recommendations with the sole objective of preventing our systems from becoming infected and causing security problems.

The first and most important thing is common sense . We have seen that in most cases the attacker will need user interaction. This means that it will be necessary for the victim to open a malicious file or to enter a link that he received by e-mail to download software that has been maliciously modified. Therefore, if we take this into account and do not make mistakes, we will have a lot of cattle.

It is also important to have security tools . Antivirus programs, as well as other security programs, can prevent threats that put our systems at risk. We are not only talking about ransomware, but also protecting ourselves from any other variety of malware that can infect computers.

Finally, something that cannot be missing is having the latest versions and patches available. We have seen that vulnerabilities sometimes arise that are exploited by hackers to deploy their attacks. Installing the latest patches can help us avoid these problems.