Assignment 3: Ransomware and Virus Protection

You work as an information security specialist for a large financial company and your CISO has asked you to investigate recent ransomware attacks. The CISO wants to ensure that the company is well protected against these types of attacks.

Write a paper in which you answer the following:

1. Identify the common targets of ransomware. Explain why these targets are so attractive to hackers.
2. Using Google, search for a recent attack involving ransomware that has occurred within the last 3 months. Explain the type of business, how the attack was detected, and the outcome of the attack.
3. Propose what users and system administrators should do when a potential infection is suspected.
4. Compare and contrast viruses, worms, and Trojans. Indicate which of these you consider to be the greatest danger to computer users and/or the greatest challenge for security personnel to protect against.
5. Use the Internet to identify three commercially available antivirus software products for corporate use. Compare the features of each and describe which one you would recommend (and why).
6. Use at least three quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar websites do not qualify as quality resources.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

1. • Analyze system vulnerabilities exploited by hackers.
   • Design plans that remove Trojans, backdoors, and malware from infected systems.
   • Use technology and information resources to research issues in cybercrime techniques and response.
   • Write clearly and concisely about topics related to cybercrime techniques and response using proper writing mechanics and technical style conventions.

2. Answer preview

3. Ransomware is a form of malware which encrypts a person’s files and prevents them from accessing those files (Shinde, Van der Veeken, Van Schooten, & van den Berg, 2016). Often, a person whose computer has been the subject of a ransomware attack is given instructions to send payment to the attacker to access his or her computer. The efficacy of ransomware is made possible by the fact that the attacker is the only person with the key combination that can decrypt the infected files. Ransomware…