Figthing Back Against: Ransomware

By | February 25, 2017

Understanding: Ransomware and how to protect against ransomware attacks.

Ransomware is a type of malware that holds your computer hostage.

Prevention is good, Protection is better, Back up is a must

Ransomware is a malicious software virus that infects a computer, network or data. During the infection, your computer will either be locked or your data encrypted, held hostage, and the only way you can regain access is by paying a “ransom”. Ransom is typically demanded in Bitcoin, a largely anonymous currency, which is often used in cyber black markets. Ransomware is classified as a “denial of access” attack, denying the victim access to the electronic device or data stored on the device until a ransom is paid.

Distributing ransomware is a criminal activity, and even though the technology it utilises is quite sophisticated, the prevalence of ransomware hinges on the exploitation of the human element – as do most criminal activities. Malware such as ransomware is not a new phenomenon, but it has become increasingly widespread and invasive in recent years.

Data backup is absolutely essential

Who is targeted by ransomware, Business and Larger Organisation are all exposed at the same risks as individual home users ransomware doesn’t discriminate.

There are four ways that ransomware could infect your computer:

1. Spam Emails

Firstly spam emails can be used to mislead unsuspecting users into opening infected email or email attachment, and it will activate upon installation.

2. Infected removable drives

Secondly it spreads by infected removable drives, the ransomware is created to install automatically when the drive is plugged in and can spread through a network to other machines.

3. Trojan Horse

Thirdly, is using a Trojan horse. The malware attaches to a legitimate application often downloaded from a questionable.

4. Compromised Webpages

Lastly, compromised webpages, some websites can be infected by ransomware by simple browsing to them without clicking to anything can exposed your computer, if attacked immediately disconnect your computer from the network or internet, format all infected drives and recover your data from clean resent backup.

How to protect your PC from ransomware attacks

Remember, Prevention is good, Protection is better, Back up is a must!

It’s always beneficial to plan for the worst case scenario. We can assist you with tested and practical online backup solution – Starting From R100 p/m. You can protect data Up to (4GB).

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