Introduction of the ARDS—Anti-Ransomware Defense System Model—Based on the Systematic Review of Worldwide Ransomware Attacks

Abstract

We live in a world of digital information communication and digital data storage. Following the development of technology, demands from the user side also pose serious challenges for developers, both in the field of hardware and software development. However, the increasing penetration of the Internet, IoT and digital solutions that have become available in almost every segment of life, carries risks as well as benefits. In this study, the authors present the phenomenon of ransomware attacks that appear on a daily basis, which endangers the operation and security of the digital sphere of both small and large enterprises and individuals. An overview of ransomware attacks, the tendency and characteristics of the attacks, which have caused serious financial loss and other damages to the victims, are presented. This manuscript also provides a brief overview of protection against ransomware attacks and the software and hardware options that enhance general user security and their effectiveness as standalone applications. The authors present the results of the study, which aimed to explore how the available software and hardware devices can implement digital user security. Based on the results of the research, the authors propose a complex system that can be used to increase the efficiency of network protection and OS protection tools already available to improve network security, and to detect ransomware attacks early. As a result, the model of the proposed protection system is presented, and it can be stated that the complex system should be able to detect ransomware attacks from either the Internet or the internal network at an early stage, mitigate malicious processes and maintain data in recoverable state.