ITPEC IP April 2021 Question 42

Ransomware makes data or systems unusable and demands payment or another benefit for restoration. A common form encrypts files and withholds the decryption key, sometimes also threatening to publish stolen information. Reliable offline backups and incident preparation reduce its impact.

Answer (b)

Why not others:
- a keylogger records keyboard input
- a rootkit conceals malicious activity and preserves privileged access
- a worm self-propagates between systems

Key rule: Malware that holds access to data hostage in exchange for a ransom is ransomware.

AI-generated — may contain errors