ransomware

noun

ran·​som·​ware ˈran(t)-səm-ˌwer 

: malware that requires the victim to pay a ransom to access encrypted files

In September of 2013, security for small accounting offices changed forever with the appearance of a new class of threats called ransomware. … you open a file attached to an innocent-looking e-mail, and the program encrypts key files and drives so they cannot be accessed. The files are locked until you pay a ransom.

—Dave Mcclure

With ransomware, a hacker slips into a system, then puts encryption controls in place that locks users out. The hackers then demand money to "unlock" the data.

—Elizabeth Millard

Today's ransomware scammers often demand payment in bitcoin because the digital currency is easy to use, fast and provides a heightened anonymity for the scammers, according to the FBI warning.

—Susan Tompor

Examples of ransomware in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

And recent ransomware attacks have brought the sector’s vulnerability into sharp relief. —Sean Lyngaas, CNN, 10 June 2024

California No widespread, systemic release of confidential data in LAUSD cyberattack, Carvalho says Oct. 3, 2022 After the LAUSD computer systems were attacked by the Vice Society ransomware group in September 2022, Supt. —Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 7 June 2024

In 2021, a ransomware attack on Scripps Health’s network of hospitals in San Diego forced staff to cancel medical procedures and divert emergency patients to other hospitals. —Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune Europe, 5 June 2024

They have been replaced by ransomware groups — who want money from ransoms — and foreign disruptors — who want to destabilize the United States. —Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 3 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

2005, in the meaning defined above