A couple of years ago, I encountered an incredibly frustrating foe.
It went by the name of “WannaCry” – and boy did it make many tech-heroes “want-to-cry”. This virus would encrypt all of the files on a network and then demand a ransom. This is known as “ransomware”.
What is Ransomware?
Imagine if all of your photos, word documents, financial data, and corporate information were suddenly locked, and only a mal-intender holds the key. The mal-intender requests a ransom in exchange for the key- and if you don’t pay it – all of your data will be destroyed.
Ransomware is a form of malware – easily bought and sold on the dark web – that encrypts all of the personal and corporate files an infected user has access to. The files are still visible, but you no longer have access to any of the data within them.
How do you get Ransomware?
Most of the ransomware my tech-users encountered was sent through infected email. This is why I recommend being careful of links and attachments in unexpected email, as viruses are frequently spread in this way.
Another possibility is through infected ads on websites. Advertisements are everywhere, but without a way to regulate them, mal-intenders may use them to distribute infected files. Do not click on advertisements if you can help it.
How can you twart Ransomware?
In our environment, the damage was minimal. We keep weekly, monthly, and yearly backups of all of our files, so even when WannaCry deleted our daily backups, we could still restore most of our important files.
I also discovered that a simple upgrade of our antivirus would block ransomware from even downloading onto our computers. Tech-users still receive infected files, but our antivirus prevents them from doing any harm. It has been years since we’ve had an infection.
For some users and organizations – particularly some state governments – ransomware attacks are still making headlines. Just yesterday, a Florida City chose to pay $600,000 to restore their files. Had they kept a good backup and found ways to prevent the attack, the mal-intenders would not have been rewarded.
Can personal machines be infected too?
Absolutely! Mal-intenders will attack anyone with the hope of making quick (and easy) buck. If you want to keep your photos and personal files safe from potential attacks, always do the following:
- Back up your files to an external device. This may include a USB drive, an external hard drive, or cd/dvds. It is wise to frequently back up your files, in case your computer crashes or other issues occur.
- Remove the external device from your computer and store it in a safe location. External devices can become infected as well, if they are attached to the machine at the time of infection.
- Maintain your antivirus. Keep the definitions up-to-date, keep the subscription current, and run a scan from time to time to keep your machine healthy.
- Be weary of suspicous email and popups. You do not need to click on every link you see.
As long as there are unprepared victims who are willing to pay for the restoration of their files, there will be ransomware. You don’t have to be one of those victims: Awareness is half the battle.