You receive an email that is seemingly important, it asks you to click a link or download something and suddenly your computer is locked and you’re being asked for payment to unlock it. That is a ransomware attack.
It’s not necessarily new but its popularity has increased and the attacks are evolving. Victims are often told that their valuable files have also been encrypted and will all be lost if they do not pay the stipulated amount within a certain amount of time. If payment is made, a decryption code is sent and you’d be able to access your files again. However, if payment isn’t made, the files stay corrupted and you could lose very valuable data.
How To Avoid A Ransomware Attack
The best thing to do is to try completely avoid these attacks in the first place. For starters, you should back up your data, always, because in the event of the attack corrupting all your important files you’ll have a backup available. Remember you’re dealing with criminals in this scenario so even if you do pay the ransom, you’re still at risk of them either attacking again or simply not decrypting your files.
A good place to start with regards to ransomware awareness is being attentive as to where these attacks are coming from. Avoid downloading things from sites and emails you’re not familiar with, try your best not to use an unprotected, public Wi-Fi and be wary of the links you’re clicking on. It’s this very basic awareness that could be the difference between keeping your data and files safe and losing everything.
Additionally, you should have a full on plan in place to deter any cybercriminals from getting to your precious files, such as threat prevention solutions like antivirus used in conjunction with backed up data. This multi-layer approach has proven to be the most effective in recent times. It might not be possible to completely avoid being a victim to one of these attacks but you can do your very best to protect yourself, your company and your files.
If you feel you may be at risk or if you simply need more information on this topic, please feel free to contact F1 Connect, where our team can put your mind at ease. View our contact details here.