Researcher Analyzes Psychology of Ransomware Splash Screens

The 'splash screens' of seventy-six different types of ransomware have been analyzed by a cyber-psychologist from De Montfort University. Commissioned by SentinelOne, the subsequent report 'Exploring the Psychological Mechanisms used in Ransomware Splash Screens' (PDF) is designed to reveal how social engineering tactics are used by cyber criminals to manipulate and elicit payments from individuals. All successful ransomware infections have one common factor -- an explanatory instruction screen to describe what has happened and explain how the victims can recover their files through the payment of a ransom. It is these explanatory screens that comprise the 'splash screens' that are analyzed.