We tend to think of criminals as hardened men in masks climbing through windows to burgle homes and offices. In the world of cybercrime, they are more likely to be young hackers keeping to their own bedrooms, testing the limits of their computer skills. These stereotypes are seldom associated with a more sophisticated skill: business expertise. Yet that is what sets apart the new breed of digital delinquent. And there is one field of cybercrime in which the business model is at the very heart of the heist: ransomware. Global IT security company Kaspersky Lab defines it as "a type of malware that severely restricts access to a computer, device or file until a ransom is paid by the user". It can be installed through deceptive links in an e-mail message, instant message or website, and can encrypt important files with a password. That's just the start. Lurking behind the scam - which has caught many South African consumers and businesses with their security pants down - is a sophistica...
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