5 Ways To Protect Yourself From Ransomware Hackers An online extortion attack where authorities swept 150 nations this weekend is a part of growing problem of 'ransomware' scams. The virus locks people out of their files and demands to pay the hackers to restore access. At the start, hackers lure the users to click on affected email links, e-attachments or take benefit of outdated systems which get vulnerable. Some Highlights • Extortion attack has hit businesses and hospitals in about 150 nations • Virus locked people out of their files and demands a ransom to get an access • The virus has spread to computer devices worldwide • Security blogger Lawrence Abrams share five tips to protect against WannaCry
Below are the 5 tips to make you a less-likely victim: 1. A safe and secure backup is a must Once your files are corrupt, the only option remains is “Recovery” from backups. 'Unfortunately, many people don't keep backups! Backups go out of date and miss critical information. With this attack, it is recommended to try to recover the 'shadow volume' copies which is present in some versions of Windows. Some ransomware targets backup files, as well. The solution is that have multiple backups to both cloud services and physical disk drives, at certain intervals. 2. Keep your system updated The latest ransomware is successful due to combination of factors. These includes a known and dangerous security hole in MS Windows. The users who didn't apply Microsoft's March software fix, and malware were designed to spread quickly once inside university, business and government sectors. Updating software help you mostly against vulnerabilities. Presently, people are realising the importance of applying these patches.
In remaining updated, and having the device patched, next attack won’t be much damaging, but quite less. But there are several computers out there and some people yet won’t think that their computer must be patched. The WANNACRY Menace: Latest developments - The attack continued to spread as workers booted computers - The extortion scheme now hit 150 countries including US, Russia, Britain, China, Germany and France - The initial attack, viz. WannaCry, paralysed NHS computers, Germany's national railway and many other companies and government offices. - British IT expert Marcus Hutchins, discovered a 'kill switch' against the cyber attack, which prevented over 100,000 computers across the globe from getting infected. - Irrespective of slowing the spread of WannaCry, there is yet fear that the ransomeware can have a alternate entry - MS put partial blame on the NSA for cyber attacks, which spread using hacking tools created by the agency - A hacking group leaked the tools online after successfully accessing NSA cyberware files - MS says that the spy agencies must disclose more of their potential exploits to developers to avoid future attacks - And the company has repeated calls for an international 'digital convention' to validate the risk and impact of cyber weapons 3. Antivirus software is an option Using antivirus software will definitely protect your device from the basic, familiar viruses by taking a scan of your system against their 'fingerprints'. The terrible and the low end criminals take advantage of less-tech savvy users with the viruses, and to mention, malware is frequently changing and antivirus is constantly days behind to detect it. 4. Educate people Basic protocol like emphasising that workers mustn't click on questionable links or open suspicious attachments could save unnecessary pain. Here comes the extra role of System administrators who can ensure that employees don't get unnecessary access to network parts that aren't essential to their work. This helps in limiting the spread of ransomware if hackers get into the system.
Security experts at many organisations don't install security upgrades because they're worry about triggering bugs, or they cannot afford the downtime. This negligence makes them vulnerable to the cyber attacks. 5. If hit, don't 'wait and watch’ Some organisations disconnect devices as a precautionary measure. To shut down a network can avoid the continued encryption and loss of more files. Hackers here at times encourage you to keep your computer on and keep linked to the network, but don't be fooled. If you're facing a ransom demand and you get locked out of your files, cyber security and law enforcement experts discourage paying ransoms as it pays incentives to hackers and money for their future attacks. There's no guarantee that all the files will be restored. Many organisations which don’t have updated backups might decide that recovery of access to critical files, like customer data, and to avoid public criticism is worth the price. But the solution is simple: Never pay ransom. Security blogger Lawrence Abrams says that if it’s like you've lost all your children's photos or you've lost all your data or you lost your thesis, sometimes $300 is worth it, as well. Now we conclude. We hope this article is helpful to you. Keep looking into our space for titbits about several news and updates. If you liked this article, then keep visiting our website ForumMantra – A Place Where You Ask! You Answer! and remain connected by liking our Facebook page @ForumMantra