When you first hear of Ryuk Ransomware, the most straightforward reaction is to call it a virus. And that’s not wrong! But some essential details about this new threat make it different from other viruses.
The bad news is that if your data gets locked up by Ryuk, it will be for good unless you pay the ransom.
The good news is there are many ways to protect yourself against ransomware like Ryuk before it can do any damage! Don’t worry; we will cover those in detail later in this post!
Let’s first go over how Ryuk works and what makes it so dangerous.
Ryuk Can Take All Your Valuable Files
This is one of the main reasons Ryuk ransomware differs from other viruses. So far, ransomware like Locky, Petya, and WannaCry infects your system by encrypting only the files with specific extensions on your computer or available connected drives.
This poses a severe problem since many essential files are mostly on external disks (which may be connected to your PC) or stored in network folders; you might need to learn about them.
Ryuk ransomware can take ALL your valuable files, including those stored on connected devices! Imagine having everything valuable to you locked up just because someone has decided to extort your money! That’s what’s happening here.
Ryuk Targets Businesses
Ryuk ransomware is specifically designed to target businesses. This means that if you’re a business and your computer gets infected by Ryuk, it’s very likely that you will lose all your files permanently unless you pay the ransom.
This contrasts with other ransomware viruses, which typically target home users.
So far, there have been few reports of individual users getting infected with Ryuk.
The reason why Ryuk ransomware targets businesses has yet to be apparent. But it could be because businesses are likelier to have valuable data that can be encrypted and held for ransom.
Ryuk Can Shut Down Your PC
One of the scariest things about Ryuk ransomware is that it can shut down your computer and prevent you from using it.
Even if you don’t care much about your files, getting locked out of your PC is bad enough to give anyone sleepless nights! And this isn’t just a threat either; Ryuk ransomware has successfully done that.
Like any other ransomware virus, Ryuk first encrypts specific files on your system and then demands a ransom to decrypt those files. But Ryuk differs from other types of viruses because of how it spreads.
Ryuk Spreads Via Microsoft Office Documents
So far, reports have indicated that Ryuk ransomware can spread as an attachment to emails disguised as contracts or invoices sent as .docor .xls files.
Once you open the document, the ransomware encrypts all the files on your computer and other connected devices.
This contrasts with viruses like WannaCry, which spread through malicious links you may click on without realising it.
Ryuk Demands a Higher Ransom
The ransom demanded by Ryuk ransomware is much higher than by other ransomware viruses.
This could be because the developers of Ryuk want to make as much money as possible by targeting businesses.
Or it could be because they feel that businesses are more likely to pay a high ransom since they stand to lose more if they don’t.
Now that you know how Ryuk works, you must also understand how to protect yourself.
There are many other ways to protect yourself against ransomware like Ryuk, but to ensure total security against this malware, call an expert to help you.