What is a typical characteristic of ransomware?

Ransomware is malicious software specifically designed to encrypt files on a victim's device, making them inaccessible. Once the files are encrypted, the attacker demands a ransom payment from the victim in exchange for the decryption key, which is necessary to regain access to the locked files. This characteristic of ransomware is vital to understand, as it highlights the threat it poses to individuals and organizations by potentially incapacitating their data, leading to financial losses and operational disruptions.

The other options present concepts that are either unrelated to ransomware or are fundamentally contrary to its nature. Antivirus software aims to protect systems from malicious threats, while ransomware specifically attacks and holds data hostage. Additionally, enhancing device performance and managing network traffic are functions associated with operational software, not a characteristic of ransomware, which is fundamentally a destructive tool.