Stop Ransomware from Spreading With Tips From Monstercloud

By | June 1, 2017

Ransomware has become a serious threat to any computer that connects to the internet these days. There are several strains and each of them has a unique type of encryption. Most antivirus and cyber security software aren’t able to detect this kind of malicious software. Since this is a newer type of threat, most software isn’t able to stop it. That means the only real protection is to take the right steps once the infection has been detected by a user. Thankfully, a few helpful tips from Monstercloud can help minimize the threat and neutralize it before the infection spreads.

Isolating the infected computer from the rest of the system is the first step. Physical and wireless connections will need to be removed to prevent any further communication with the rest of the network. Just in case, any services that synchronize files or folders will need to be stopped. This way, if the infection isn’t completely removed before reconnecting to the rest of the network, the computer won’t spread the virus.

The next step is to identify the type of ransomware. Each virus is unique and will indicate its name somewhere on the screen that demands the ransom. A quick online search should reveal a source for the encryption key. Some premium security virus or service providers will offer links to the key. It’s important to find a reputable site to download it from. The key can then be used to unlock files and folders that have been detected.

Once the files and folders on the computer have been unlocked, it’s time to find the source of the problem. Since the antivirus software on the computer wasn’t able to identify the infection on its own, there isn’t much hope of finding it with a system scan. The files will need to be found manually. Users may be able to find a list of probable files online, but it might come down to simply deleting any files or folders that look suspicious. If users aren’t really sure where to start, they should call an expert and have them take a look at the system.