Ransomware has become a significant threat for computer users throughout the world. It has drastically affected organizations, companies, and individual users by plaguing their systems and encrypting devices. It penetrates in the devices and locks all the files by exploiting the security loopholes in the system. Once it blocks access for the user, it then demands a huge ransom payment for ransomware removal usually as Bitcoin. Ransomware recovery is an excruciating and highly costly task for the victims.
These cyber-attacks are so prevalent and rapidly occurring, that it is estimated that by 2021, a user will fall victim to a ransomware attack every 11 seconds! Such perturbed is the situation that no computer user can claim themselves to be completely safe from the malware.
It is imperative to take necessary precautions to prevent your device from any plausible attack otherwise the process of ransomware recovery will be extremely arduous.
Beware of the phishing techniques used by cybercriminals. You might receive emails containing attachments that appear to be authentic in the form of executable files such as word document or pictures. However, these links might be corrupt, and clicking on these attachments may lead to the malware creeping into the system. Beware of this spam since Cyber crooks frequently use these tricks to infect the system.
Similarly, malicious emails may contain links to compromised websites. Clicking on these links redirects the user to an infected website that downloads the virus on the system. You have to be extremely cautious while opening emails from unknown sources or clicking on unverified website links.
Sometimes scoundrels may also try to obtain personal and confidential information from the users by sending disguised emails, pretending to be a reliable bank or insurance company. The user might be deceived and end up providing personal details such as account numbers, passwords, etc. This paves the way for the attacker to gain access to the system. Do not fall into this trap and respond to these malicious emails.
The most efficient way to do this is to employ content scanning and filtering. This mitigates the chances of any malware to be downloaded on the system and scans the emails before they are downloaded, thereby preventing the device from possible threats, and filtering out any malicious content that might disrupt the system.
Always ensure to download any content such as software, applications, or games only from reliable and verified websites. Avoid downloading free versions since they are most prone to be infected, thereby contaminating the user’s system as well.
It is imperative to install secure and trustworthy anti-virus software and a firewall on your system which plays a critical role in the protection of the system. Make sure that all the systems and operating software are updated since they comprise of the relevant security patches which might be missing in the previous versions. They are vital for filtering out any unsafe or malicious content that might creep in the computer.
Do not insert any unfiltered, external storage devices such as USB or hard disk on your system. This may cause the malware to enter your system and encrypt the files.
If you do not take appropriate preventative measures, your device might become a target of the malware. Ransomware recovery will utilize a lot of your resources. Hence it is crucial to protect your system from any probable attack.
