Ransomware is a nasty form of software called malware that has been designed to lock up company data until money is paid for its release. Threats are on the rise and they’re usually spread by infected email attachments and hacked websites.
When hit by Ransomware, it will set about encrypting any data it can find on your network. Once infected, it will pop up with a message offering an unlock code – for a fee! The fee is often £300 and payment can only be made using untraceable bitcoins.
Threats such as CryptoLocker, Locky and CryptoWall have robbed hundreds of millions of pounds from victims worldwide who found they’d rather pay for a quick release than spend hours/days trying to retrieve their data.
How to protect against Ransomware
Prevention is always better than cure when it comes to virus infections, especially ransomware. So to help protect against infection we recommend;
- Running business-class anti-virus software such as Eset EndPoint Protection on all computers
- Educating staff on the risks of opening suspicious email attachments and web-links
- Investing in a Unified Threat Management (UTM) to protect your network. These devices are effective in protecting against infections at the internet gateway
- Ensuring staff have limited computer/network access rights
- Using an on-site and off-site backup solution
How to recover from Ransomware
When infected a business can grind to a halt. Free decryption tools can be found online but with ransomware constantly changing these don’t always work. Sometimes the only solution is to restore from a backup or pay the ransom.
Backups are the easy recovery choice but beware, some threats will attempt to encrypt your backups too. Therefore, it’s important to have an off-site cloud solution backup that retains a file version history.
If you need more information about securing your business against ransomware or would like help recovering from an infection, contact our friendly help desk team on 01903 786287