Extortion can simply be defined as “the practice of obtaining benefit through coercion.“ Data and cloud extortion schemes occur when precious data and/or access is stolen by an attacker that promises to restore it through payment or other demands. In this article, we’ll cover some common or uncommon extortion schemes, and highlight ways to detect and avoid falling prey to demands.
When you browse the web, use social media, or shop online, you probably don’t think about how your personal information is being safeguarded. However, with so many cyberattacks hitting the news on a frequent basis, this is something that should concern you. You see, hackers can gain access to your personal information if it isn’t properly encrypted and safeguarded. Thankfully, cryptography is here to save the day.
Across the globe, we are all now always connected. People now share, upload, and download information from their phones or computers. Cloud-based storage has become incredibly popular because everything is accessible. And with multiple devices synced, you'll never have to worry about forgetting a file again. However, it's not without risks. If someone gets access to your account credentials, they could potentially view all your data stored in the cloud.