“It is an attack technique that has been around for decades,” the mystery guy stated, referring to ransomware, which is malicious software that blocks access to a computer system.
“Modern ransomware is usually a piece of malware that gets on your system, encrypts all of your data and then holds that hostage demanding.
That you contact the gangs that are operating it, paying them in some form of currency before they’ll give you the key that decrypts your data.”
His work may be quite challenging at times, just like the rest of us, but since he works with the dark web, his stakes are much higher.
“I’ve watched hospitals get encrypted and people are left with a choice: do I pay to decrypt the data or do I risk lives?” he said, describing some of the things he’s seen.
