They use the mail to send ransomware
Why do we say that ransomware is a good friend of the email? It is a means of communication widely used by everyone, both by home users as well as companies and organizations. This makes it very easy for an attacker to send a fake message, which contains a malicious file and ends up infecting the system.
It is clear that it is a cheap, fast and easy way to send many messages simultaneously. They only need to have the address of the victim, select who to try to attack and in what way. For example, use a strategy for specific users who use a certain platform, a company that is in charge of a specific service and that may be susceptible to attack.
The fact of sending an email means that another person is going to receive a message. If there are hundreds of people who receive it, there is a higher probability that someone will end up downloading that malicious file, the ransomware, and your files and system are compromised. All this without the hacker having to make a large investment or dedication, as is the case with other methods.
What do attackers need to infect via mail? Basically the main thing is to know the address of the victim. They can find public addresses on the Internet, through leaks, etc. However, this is not enough to attack, since email providers have a filter, so the next step is to get past that filter.
Once they reach the inbox, in order to attack they need the victim to click and download a file. That file is really the ransomware, which can be hidden as if it were a Word file, an image, a ZIP…
How to be protected
Now, can we be protected against this problem? For this it is essential to common sense. It is essential to avoid making mistakes that could leave our system on a tray. Never download unknown files from the Internet, such as a text file, an image, or anything without actually knowing the source.
It is also essential to have a good antivirus installed. This will allow you to detect threats of this type before they steal data or encrypt files. There are many options available, both free and paid. You should always choose one that works properly and is guaranteed.
On the other hand, to be protected against ransomware it is essential to have All updated. Sometimes this type of malware will need to exploit a vulnerability in the system. Therefore, having everything with the latest versions will help avoid problems and that an attacker can take advantage of. It is important to protect your computer from email ransomware.
