What is Ransomware – Prevention and Recovery
Over the last few years the threat of ransomware has grown phenomenally impacting millions of users and making headlines in the news. The impacts on a business can be catastrophic. In today’s blog we will be covering an introduction to ransomware, how to prevent it and how you may recover from it.
What is Ransomware?
When a computer is infected by Ransomware it sets about encrypting all your files so that they are locked and cannot be opened, if your computer is part of a network it will also encrypt all the files you have access to, this could include the entire contents of the shared folders on your server.
A message is then displayed on your screen prompting you to make a payment from hundreds and sometimes thousands of pounds to have the files unlocked. In some cases, users have reported paying the amount required and never actually receiving the key to unlocking the files. They request payment in BitCoin – an untraceable currency.
Some of the ransomware threats have been named as CryptoLocker & CryptoWall
How to Prevent from Ransomware
Prevention from ransomware can be achieved by ensuring that your computer is always loaded with the current set of windows updates and most importantly ensuring that you are using a Business Class Antivirus Solution such as Star IT’s Managed Antivirus software Included in some of our IT Support Packages.
As the ransomware is typically transmitted via email it is also worth educating staff to the dangers of the threat and being wary before opening attachments. It’s better to be safe than sorry here so if in doubt it would be highly recommended to contact your IT Support Company prior to opening anything you are unsure of.
Recovering in the event of an Infection
Backups are one of the most critical contingency’s a business can have in place and in most cases, the only way to recover from a Ransomware infection is from a backup. Do bear in mind though that if your backup drive is plugged into an infected computer then it could become encrypted too.
Using an offsite backup solution such as Our Cloud Backup Service files would not be encrypted by the infection and could be retrieved from the cloud.
If you’d like to learn more about how to stay safe or need help recovering from an infection, please do not hesitate to contact us today on 01480 262222