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But the most important thing to know is that at the end of the process, the files cannot be decrypted without a mathematical key known only by the attacker. If you want the technical details, the Infosec Institute has a great in-depth look at how several flavors of ransomware encrypt files.

There are several things the malware might do once it’s taken over the victim's computer, but by far the most common action is to encrypt some or all of the user's files. Some other, more aggressive forms of ransomware, like NotPetya, exploit security holes to infect computers without needing to trick users. Once they're downloaded and opened, they can take over the victim's computer, especially if they have built-in social engineering tools that trick users into allowing administrative access. One of the most common delivery systems is phishing spam - attachments that come to the victim in an email, masquerading as a file they should trust. There are a number of vectors ransomware can take to access a computer. The costs can range from a few hundred dollars to thousands, payable to cybercriminals in Bitcoin. Users are shown instructions for how to pay a fee to get the decryption key.

The attacker then demands a ransom from the victim to restore access to the data upon payment. Ransomware is a form of malware that encrypts a victim's files.