Cryptovirology
Cryptovirology is the study of viruses that use encryption to harm computer systems. A virus is a type of harmful software that can be downloaded onto your computer without your knowledge, and it can cause damage to your files or steal your personal information. Encryption is a way of hiding or scrambling information so that it cannot be read by unauthorized people.
Cryptoviruses use encryption to do their damage. When a computer becomes infected with a cryptovirus, the virus will encrypt the files on that computer. This means that the files become scrambled or hidden so that the owner of the computer cannot access them anymore. The virus will then ask for payment in exchange for the key to unlock the encrypted files.
This is where the word “crypto” in cryptovirology comes from – it refers to the encryption used by the virus.
The study of cryptovirology helps computer scientists to understand how these viruses work and how to prevent them from causing damage to computer systems. Researchers in this field aim to find ways to detect, decrypt, and remove cryptoviruses from infected computers, as well as to develop tools and strategies to prevent them from infecting computers in the first place.
So, in summary, cryptovirology is the study of viruses that use encryption to cause harm to computer systems, and researchers in this field work to prevent these viruses from infecting computers and causing damage.