Which type of malware restricts access to files and demands payment to remove restrictions?

Which type of malware restricts access to files and demands payment to remove restrictions?

• A. Boot Sector Virus
• B. Horizontal Privilege Escalation
• C. UAC
• D. Ransomware

Answer: (D)

Ransomware is malware that restricts access to data and demands payment to restore access. It usually encrypts files so they’re unreadable or locks the screen, making the system unusable, and the attacker asks for money (often in cryptocurrency) to provide a decryption key or unblock the device. This behavior directly matches the scenario of blocking access and demanding payment. A boot sector virus tampering with the boot process affects startup rather than specifically holding data hostage. Privilege escalation is about increasing user rights, not blocking data, and UAC is a Windows security feature that prompts for permission, not malware.

Ransomware is malware that restricts access to data and demands payment to restore access. It usually encrypts files so they’re unreadable or locks the screen, making the system unusable, and the attacker asks for money (often in cryptocurrency) to provide a decryption key or unblock the device. This behavior directly matches the scenario of blocking access and demanding payment. A boot sector virus tampering with the boot process affects startup rather than specifically holding data hostage. Privilege escalation is about increasing user rights, not blocking data, and UAC is a Windows security feature that prompts for permission, not malware.