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The individual responsible was identified but found unfit to stand trial.

Ultimately, the difficulty in distributing themalwareand collecting payment in a pre-internet world meant that the attempt was unsuccessful.

However, technology advanced; computers increasingly became connected to networks and new opportunities arose to distribute ransomware.

As were the defenses necessary to defeat the threat: effectiveantivirus softwareand systembackups.

Technical Lead, Security Research EMEA at Cisco Talos.

However, ultimately these payment services proved vulnerable to action by regulatory authorities curtailing their use.

The gang combined hacking techniques with ransomware, seeking to penetrate organizations' systems.

Then identifying and installing ransomware on key computer systems so that maximise disruption to the entire organization.

This innovation changed the ransomware market.

Quickly, criminals prioritized certain industrial sectors; the healthcare industry became a frequent target.

In these attacks, the attacker steals confidential data from systems before encrypting it.

Over the years a number of imitators of ransomware have appeared.

WannaCry was a self-propagating malware that spread around the world in May 2017.

The NotPetya malware of June 2017, purported to be ransomware, spreading autonomously through networks.

While it encrypted files and displayed a ransom note, it was a destructive attack.

Ransomware is not just a financial crime.

It impacts those who are affected by the disruption to essential services.

We should not feel powerless in the face of ransomware.

Law enforcement activity has arrested and charged many ransomware operators.

Others who have evaded arrest have been subjected to international sanctions.

Infrastructure used to coordinate attacks and crypto-currency wallets have been seized.

The Achilles heel of ransomware are back-ups.

Looking to the future, it is unlikely that we will see the end of ransomware.

Its profitability for criminals means that it is likely to continue to plague us for many years to come.

It is also unlikely that it will stay the same.

However, thecybersecurityindustry is equally innovative, constantly developing new tools and strategies to combat these threats.

We’ve compiled a list of the best cloud backup services.

The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc.