5 Tips to Help Protect Against Ransomware
In the cybersecurity realm, Ransomware rules. It has taken down entire fuel pipelines and taken control of hospital networks. To even have the possibility of taking back control of your systems and files, you have to make the choice of whether or not you want to pay threat actors the ransom they demand. And even if you do pay up, you still might not gain access back to the files that were yours.
Ransomware is not difficult to deploy, and it’s very profitable for cybercriminals. What started out as a security issue for home users has morphed into one of the most dangerous forms of malware for businesses and government agencies too. No one is safe from the threat of a ransomware attack – so how can you protect against it? Here are 5 tips that can help you avoid falling victim to a ransomware attack:
Don’t Open Files or Links you’re Unsure of
A ransomware attack can’t take hold of your system without some sort of access to it. Be careful about downloading or opening files from the web or through an email. Downloading a file you can’t validate as legitimate puts your system at risk, and can compromise your system. As a general rule, you shouldn’t open a file if you aren’t certain of its source.
Use Trusted Software and Update it often
Ransomware isn’t always installed by tricking the user into opening a file or clicking on a link – it can take over a system by exploiting holes in legitimate software applications that aren’t properly updated also. For this reason, you should only download software from sources that can be trusted, and who provide necessary security updates as they are needed. The standard rule of three is update, protect and backup. Many programs like an operating system or web browser can make these patches automatically in the background, but it’s always important to make sure these applications are up to date.
Install Quality Security Solutions
There’s debate about whether or not built-in security solutions for Windows and MAC are good enough solutions on their own, but they do go a long way to keeping ransomware away. To stay better protected, installing a trusted third-party service adds even that much more protection. McAfee, Norton and Bitdefender are just a few of the options to choose from, all of which will monitor your system and protect it from the threat of ransomware.
Use Strong Passwords
Ransomware is a malware that typically affects files on an actual system, but with the right credentials it can also hold files hostage in a cloud environment as well. Be sure to apply strong passwords that are different from each other for all accounts. Also, use two-factor authentication that can help you verify your credentials. A password manager is a great tool to use to help you keep track of these credentials.
Properly Backup your Files
If your backed up files are within easy reach of ransomware, there is a chance these backups could get encrypted too. Be sure to have at least one of your backups only occasionally be connected to the main system. Additionally, make sure whatever backup solution you are using has revision history so that you can go back to a point before the ransomware attack took place. This will allow you to retrieve old copying of your files, which would be unaffected by the threat.
As is the case with any cybersecurity threat, it’s impossible to completely guarantee protection. However, following the tips above can help minimize your risk of becoming a victim of a ransomware attack.
Story via WIRED
