Ransomware and Cyber Extortion: Response and Prevention

Chapter 1

Impact

Heck, what’s a little extortion among friends?

—Bill Watterson

Learning Objectives

• Define cyber extortion and explain the four types (denial, exposure, modification, and “faux”)

• Understand the impacts of cyber extortion on modern organizations

• Recognize that adversaries can leverage technology suppliers to compromise victims and conduct cyber extortion on a massive scale

Company X was a thriving accounting firm headquartered in a major U.S. city. Every day, its staff handled bookkeeping, financial oversight, tax preparation, and a myriad of other tasks for hundreds of clients.

Suddenly, one Monday morning, everything stopped. An early-rising staff member walked into the office and heard a frightening sound. Every computer ...