Tampa Startup Helps Fight Hackers and the Growing $325 Million Ransomware Industry

Tampa, FL, January 11, 2016 (Newswire.com) - Did you know it only takes Ransomware milliseconds to gain control of your computer? In the first six months of 2015, the number of Ransomware attacks equaled the total number in all of 2014.

Tampa based start-up, Ruiware, has beta tested and rolled out their latest answer to the growing industry of Cybercrime, WinAntiRansom. “Ransomware is a ruthless and rapidly growing criminal act targeted at Windows users,” Bret Lowry, CEO, says. “The answer to these attacks won’t be met by software developers in stagnant or established companies. A tenacious, start-up mentality is a necessity in beating this, and that’s what we provide.” Ruiware was born out of decades of software specialists and anti-virus pioneers.

An independent test by Cruel Sister from MalwareTips.com crowned WinAntiRansom as the King of Encryption Protection. "A 4/5 review, with the culprit for the missing star already fixed, cements WinAntiRansom as the best product on the market," Lowry states.

Bret Lowry, CEO

Norton, the worlds largest anti-virus software company, has pinned Ransomware as the fastest growing threat to computer health and safety. “Users are still being confronted with similar messages to this. Malware…The scam works by using malware to disable the victims’ computers until they pay a ransom to restore access. Cybercriminals often use social engineering tricks, such as displaying phony messages purporting to be from local law enforcement, to convince victims to pay up. Messages often include warnings such as, ‘You have browsed illicit material and must pay a fine,’” Norton states on their website.

Ransomware works and exists like this; the infection/takeover takes place and encrypts data files, users then have no access to their files or private information, and they are forced to pay the fee to get the data unencrypted. The fee can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars. The product, WinAntiRansom, detects the attack and blocks it, thus protecting the computer before any such takeover happens.

So far, unfortunately, not much existed to stop these attacks, and the payoff for criminals has been lucrative.
Per Norton, “Symantec experts analyzed how criminals monetize the scheme. In the month-long period the experts studied one specific attack in more detail. 2.9 percent of compromised users paid out. This may seem like a small percentage, but it pays off for the criminals:

• During the month 68,000 computers were infected: the equivalent of 5,700 every day
• Ransomware typically charges between $60 to $200 to unlock the computer (this is old data, Ransomware typically start between $100 and $500, with the ransom doubling periodically until if you don’t pay, it deletes your files.)
• On a single day, 2.9 per cent or 168 users paid the Ransomware, permitting the criminals to potentially earn $33,600; which means the criminals could have made up to $394,000 in one month.

However, given the number of different malware variants and criminal gangs operating Ransomware attacks, an estimated $325 million is being extorted from victims per year.” (Norton)

Having beta tested the product 6 times and now releasing its 7th version, Ruiware is confident they’ve developed the industries best solution to combatting Ransomware. WinAntiRansom’s stated advantages include:

- Blocking Ransomware before it encrypts

- Keeping data safe with a multi-faceted solution

- Protecting system critical registry keys from modification

- Not slowing down your computer

- Stopping many Malware infections before they take root

WinAntiRansom does not replace your Antivirus product; instead, it works in conjunction with your Antivirus in protecting your computer and your data. WinAntiRansom is written to be compatible with every Antivirus on the market. “Our team comes from the Antivirus industry; we understand how to play nicely with other security products,” Bret Lowry, CEO, says.

In addition to positive reviews on industry forums and among software industry thought leaders, WinAntiRansom recently received an unprecedented and outstanding review on the Malware industry-devoted website, Malwaretips.com. An independent test by Cruel Sister from MalwareTips.com crowned WinAntiRansom as the King of Encryption Protection. “A 4/5 review, with the culprit for the missing star already fixed, cements WinAntiRansom as the best product on the market,” Lowry states.

With the pressure on to rapidly attack the ransomware industry, Lowry and his team have sought the help of Tampa’s growing entrepreneurs. Lowry recently presented the most recent successful beta test of WinAntiRansom at 1 Million Cups, a weekly national program designed to educate, engage, and connect entrepreneurs. Engaging feedback and growing interest spell high hopes for WinAntiRansom, Lowry and his team.

Learn more about Ruiware, WinPatrol and WinAntiRansom at https://www.winpatrol.com/winantiransom.