Ransomware is now the preferred mode of extortion for cyber criminals. The ability to demand a sizable ransom by remotely holding data hostage is a criminal's dream. 2015 saw the development and dissemination of most profitable ransomware to date - here is the Ransomware Hall of Fame for 2015:
Tox
“Tox is ransomware for the lazy cyber-criminal. Available for free on the darkweb the creators make their money by requesting a portion of the ransom - to be paid in bitcoin.
The program allows the would-be criminal to request a custom ransom amount (in bitcoin as well as the address to which the funds are to be sent), state their "cause" and then submit their captcha.
CryptoWall 3.0
Cryptowall 3.0 was (at the time) "the most current and significant ransomware threat targeting US individuals and businesses." Cybercriminals were known to extort up to $10,000 from per victim using the carefully designed software.
CryptoWall 4.0
Following hot on the heels of Cryptowal 3.0 came version 4.0. Clearly eager to maintain its mantle as the supreme software in the online extortion field, Cryptowall 4.0 “encrypts both data and file name. This is done to encourage the user to settle with the criminals by paying the ransom in a timely fashion. The cybercrooks realize that seeing the files as they were created increases hope of recovery”.
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