Ransomware can reach your computer many ways. It can reach users when they unknowingly visit malicious or compromised websites. Imagine surfing the web and going onto a site that is infected with ransomware. It would be awful. Ransomware can also reach you by being dropped or downloaded by other malware. Some are known to be in attachments from spam email, dropped onto vulnerable systems, or through advertisements that are used to spread malware.

To get your files back you will have to pay whoever encrypted it. Sometimes there may be ransomware help desks, where they will give victims a few files back for free, so they know they are not being completely conned. The price of ransomware vary varies; it depends on the ransomware variant and the price or exchange rates of digital currencies. The average cost is $300, and the hackers usually prefer the payment in bitcoins.

Ransomware is a type of software that prevents or limits users from accessing their system, either by locking the system’s screen or by locking the users’ files unless a sum of money is paid. Ransomware is considered “scareware” because it forces people to pay a fee by scaring or intimidating them.

Ransomware attacks are not a recent threat. The first attack happened in 1989 and the payment demanded was $189, according to Symantec. It turned out to be unsuccessful because very few people had personal computers and the internet was mainly used by science and technology experts.