Ransomware poses a growing risk

Blackmail online: A ransomware threat demands payment from a user in exchange for unlocking data. — dpa

ONE morning last month, employees at Truman Medical Centers in Kansas City, United States, got locked out of portions of their own computer system. That came more than a year after Blue Springs Family Care confirmed it had been hit in May 2018.

Both had been hit by ransomware, a form of cyberattack in which malware locks up a computer or computer system, which can severely hamper an organisation’s operations. The hackers then typically demand a ransom, often paid in Bitcoin or another cryptocurrency to avoid detection, before they unlock the computer system to allow access again. Cities, school systems and national and global companies have all been hit.