Useful Tips To Stop Ransomware: A Backup Plan Can Help You Out

You must have heard about Bad Rabbit, Locky, Petya and Crytptolocker ransomware because of the countless damage caused by them everywhere. And, if you haven’t heard of the emerging risk of ransomware, then here’s a quick review-

What is Ransomware?

Ransomware is a malicious malware which blocks the victim’s access to his/her files or folders on the computer system. It gets spread by a hacker who demands some ransom to be paid in bitcoins from the victim. In return, the victim receives decryption key to recover the files and folders. In most of the cases, it has been found that victims of ransomware are unable to recover their data. Therefore, having a data backup plan on a regular basis is really essential.

How Ransomware Works?

Over the past three years, ransomware has jumped into the spotlight of the cyber threat landscape. Cyber-crooks steal your sensitive files and folders and without exception, demand payment in untraceable Bitcoin, the same currency associated with illicit encounters such as drug trafficking, illegal arms and prostitution.

Signs you have been hit with Malware

Your Files Fail to Open

If you are unable to open any particular file on your system and provides various error messages on operating system such as-

Mac

“There is no application sets to open the document… Search the App Store for an application that can open this document, or choose an existing application on your computer.”

Windows

“Windows can’t open this file… To open this file, Windows needs to know what program you want to use to open it. Windows can go online to look it up automatically, or you can manually select from a list of programs that are installed on your computer.”

Programs aren’t working properly

While using a specific program, if you face a system failure, then this could be more than a software failure. Malfunctioning of a device is the master plan by hackers to steal all your personalized information such as username, password, bank details and more.

Ransomware Prevention Tips

• Never open email attachments from unknown senders. Clicking on suspicious links and attachments can put your sensitive information at risk.
• Update all applications on your PC regularly. Software updates should never be ignored or delayed.
• Run a good antivirus software. However, only having an antivirus software is not enough, it should be up-to-date and security scans should be conducted periodically.
• Having a backup of your sensitive data is one of the best things to beat various malicious ransomware. Whether cloud-based backup solutions work for you or physical backup devices such as hard drives seem suitable, the value of having data backup is inevitable when a disaster happens.
• Never share your personal credentials with anyone. Your bank account details and other secure login credentials should be kept private.

Stay Alert and Updated!