You are losing money because of Ransomware
Ransomware is the type of software that installs on the user’s computer without the knowledge of the user. Once installed, it takes over certain functions and demands money from the user in order to uninstall itself. Although this seems like something new, it has been present for quite a long time and they mostly come in the form of Trojan virus. One of the most popular ransomware for Windows was CryptoLocker which earned as much as 3 million dollars from the users before it was taken down by the authorities.
The question is – how can we protect ourselves from such a malice? What steps should be taken in order to make sure that this will never happen to us? Well, here are a few suggestions that every user needs to follow.
Watch your steps
Let’s start with a simple one – do not go to the suspicious websites and open suspicious mail. I know that there will always be victims of „You won a billion dollars lottery“, but I honestly think that it is outdated. However, the email scams are now more sophisticated and you have to be very careful with opening those. As a matter of fact, some email will have official subjects in order to make you think that you should open it, but if you use good email software, they should be automatically sent to SPAM section.
Always update the software
All the software that protects your computer should be regularly updated. Most of the software updates without your knowledge, but it is always worth to check on your own and see if you have the latest version. Simply, ransomware always evolves and so does the database of antiviruses which need to include the newest threats and be able to protect your computer.
The network should be segmented
When you have many people connected to one big network, it is a higher risk of affecting everyone with ransomware. However, one should figure out what sections do not need to have a constant network communication and segment them into several smaller networks. This way, if someone downloads ransomware, not everyone will have their computers infected but just the ones that are connected to a particular network. Segmenting networks may seem as an easy job to do but it should definitely be done by a professional who can see how they can segment them.
Educate the people around you
If you are working in a place where computers are used and are all interconnected, then it is a good idea to educate all the other computer users at your workplace how to protect themselves (and all the other computers as well). When you read this article and articles such as this one, feel free to tell about it to your colleagues and took the necessary steps to ensure maximum protection. Furthermore, there are many programs and training online courses which you can Google out and share with your co-workers.
Check everything on a daily basis
There are several types of check-ups that can be performed some of which are applied annually while some check-ups, such as penetration test should be performed at least couple of times during the week. Although it seems just like extra work and the waste of time, these checks can actually save you from being attacked by ransomware
Backup everything you can, anytime you can
The equation is simple, if you back up data all the time, it is less likely to lose it during the ransomware lockout. When you accidentally install a ransomware program, you get to out-smart it if you backed up data recently. There are numerous pieces of software which can help you with backing up data and storing it.
Use Virtual Private Network
VPN cannot really help you if you have malware, but can play a good deal in protecting your overall identity on the internet by providing false information and protecting your data. This way, malicious software will not be able to discover your presence on the internet and intercept it with juicy offers. Therefore, if you think of the protections as layers of shield protecting you, VPN is the one that is up in the front and repels all the attacks.
In order to install a VPN, you need to check some of the good providers such as LimeVPN which will make everything protected and you will also get additional benefits from them such as dedicated IPs and complete anonymity.
To sum up, ransomware is a huge threat and there is one thing that you absolutely should not do and that is – pay the ransom. This way you admit the defeat and give money to the criminals, which is simply wrong. You can Google more about what to do if you have ransomware installed on your computer.
Rachael Chapman
A Complete gamer and a Tech Geek. Brings out all her thoughts and love in writing blogs on IOT, software, technology etc
