ITPEC IP April 2025 Question 39

Ransomware — it denies access to data, commonly through encryption, and demands payment for restoration.

The attacker uses the victim's inability to use files as leverage for a ransom. Paying does not guarantee a working decryption key, so defenses emphasize patched systems, cautious handling of messages, endpoint protection, and offline or otherwise protected backups.

Answer (b)

Why not others:
- (a) Keylogger records keystrokes to steal information such as credentials
- (c) Rootkit hides malicious activity and maintains privileged access
- (d) Worm self-propagates between systems but is not defined by an extortion demand

Key rule: Malware names describe their main behavior: capture input, conceal control, self-replicate, or hold data and systems for ransom.

AI-generated — may contain errors