The Rise of Ransomware: How to Get Protection From Ransomware?

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How to Get Protection From Ransomware? With the passage of time and growth of technology, the human dependency on technology has exponentially increased. This is the era of a technology-dependent human. Be it our social media, educational system or even keeping the record of any business. Everything is controlled and influenced by the technology. However, it has eased our lives a big time. But as everything is evolving and depending on the augmented technology. The criminals have also evolved into the cybercriminal. Who keep on looking up for various ways of fraudulent. And illicit means of making money.

The topmost cyber crimes that are on the trend are. Phishing, hacking ( See 7 ways to avoid being hacked), Identity theft, blackmailing, harassment, sexual assault. And the most speedily rising Cybercrime ransomware. During the past couple of years, ransomware has caught the speed of light. And has become very prevalent. The millions and billions of the people and entrepreneur have become the victim of ransomware. Hence, this is the high time to make the necessary measures. For the prevention or minimization of ransomware. Here are we. To guide you on how to get protection from ransomware. (also read our ultimate privacy guide)

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What Is Ransomware and How does it work?

Ransomware was first developed in Russia back in 2005. This is malware. That is surreptitiously installed on the device and hijack the data. This result in losing the access to previous and sensitive data of the victim. The attacker gets benefitted. By asking the victim for a hefty amount of ransom. For regaining the access to their data and device. After its inception, the crime had not confined to Russia only.

Instead, it has spread like wildfire. And now the ransomware crime does not have boundaries of any limited country. It has mushroomed globally. And the attackers are coming up with more and more advanced techniques. Of intrusions of ransomware in the device.

The ransomware is of two kinds. One is crypto ransomware, a malware that sets encryption. On the sensitive data and locks the device. Stopping the victim from accessing his data. Whereas the Locky ransomware is also a malware. That locks the device and makes the device inaccessible to the victim. However, it commonly does not encrypt any document or file. Read on to know more about how to get protection from ransomware.

Why Has It Become So Popular Among Attackers?

The reason why these two type of ransomware are getting more and more widespread with time. Is hidden behind the wall of alluring benefits for the racketeers The most appealing reason is that it is a very fruitful way of ill-gotten gains of dirty money for the scammers. The way it works by locking the device or network of the victim. It compels the companies to pay whatever amount is asked. In a bid to regain the access to the company’s data. That cannot be compromised at any cost.

Moreover, as this technique of ransomware demands. The attacker to receive money via any digital payment mode like Bitcoin, this protects the identity of the wrongdoer and makes it almost impossible to track them. And there is only protection from ransomware that lessens the chances of being the victim, but if you fall its victim, there is no way out.

The Rise Of Ransomware

According to the survey result of the United States Department of Justice, the rate of ransomware has proliferated to 300% during the past two years 2015-2016. Whereas, in 2015, the cybersecurity advocacy BitSight had carried out research that emphasized the occurrence of ransomware in all the six vital industry sectors such as healthcare, retail, finance, education, government, and energy or utility ventures.

The outcome of this research indicated that. Ransomware hits all the industry sectors. But the most affected areas were the government one with 2.96 % rise in cybercrime and education with a 3% increase in ransomware. This study further strengthened the survey of United States Department of Justice and unfolded the fact that this is the era of an upsurge in the ransomware and the essential protection from ransomware is what we need the most.

Effects Of Ransomware

The underlying effects of the victimization of ransomware are utterly very grave and expeditious. For instance, if it comes to the effects that a hospital might face, is the loss of patient’s medical history and data of x-rays, lab history and other medicine-related digital records that become inaccessible by the hospital staff.  This would result in the delay of patient’s cure that can bring some more critical effects like relocating the patient in any other healthcare centre, legal action in case of patient’s worse condition or even his death.

Likewise, even the police departments have not been safe from the ransomware attackers. In 2015, January, the Midlothian police department in Chicago, had to pay $500 as a ransom when the department was under attack of ransomware. Furthermore, the education sector could face the data loss of their students enrolled, the staff on payroll and the planning and syllabus outlines for their curriculum. Hence, the protection from ransomware is very necessary for all the industries.( Read 5 methods to secure your iPhone/iPad from cyber attacks)

How Does It Target?

The ransomware is not at all a complicated process. It is simply done via phishing or malvertising, or you can say that ransomware is the more sophisticated and modified form of phishing or malvertising that furtively install malware in the device and clandestinely takes control of all your data.

How To Protect Your Data

Precaution is always better than cure! So you should be cautious about your online activity and the way you use your or office computer containing sensitive data before you become the prey of ransomware attackers. So, it is important to get protection from ransomware.  Following are some precautions that might save you from being the victim of ransomware. ( also check our 10 cyber security tips)

  • Backup Your Data

The practice of backing up all the company’s or any individual’s sensitive data is highly recommended as to prevent yourself from falling victim to ransomware that has been widely spread across the globe. Backing up your data refers to keeping a copy of your data in some other storage like USB or online cloud. Besides this, companies should make a prompt use of a firewall ( know about NAT firewall) in a bid to prevent themselves losing their data and ending up being empty-handed. 

  • Be Cautious While Clicking

The people with the habit of blindly and brainlessly using the internet are more likely to fall victim to phishing that leads to ransomware. Always check the source of your email sender, phishing emails look very legitimate, but if you inspect the email carefully, you will get to suspect if there would be anything fishy. 

Be it any attachment, link or scammy ad, never click it until you ensure the genuinity of the sender for it might cause you to regret that moment later. Unfortunately, if a prey clicks on the catchy link, it either directs him to the website that would ask his financial credentials, or it could potentially install malware that can lock and encrypt his data, leaving him helpless. In short, it is important to be careful what you click in order to get protection from ransomware.

  • Update Security Software

Updating the security software is another must in the wake to prevent yourself or your company from the victimization of ransomware. Security software is something that plays the role of a hard concrete wall between your data and the malware.

  • Use Reliable And Effective Antivirus/Antimalware

Spending ample time in choosing the best antivirus or antimalware is highly appreciable in an attempt to take precautionary measures against ransomware. There is a broad range of variety of antimalware, but you should choose that which best suits your needs as it stands in between your data and the malware and protects your data.

  •  Use Ad-blockers

In a bid to avoid all kinds of scammy ads, you are recommended to block the pop-up with the help plug-ins and chrome extensions that are created to block ads on the web page like Ad Blocker. This will remove every kind of ads from your web page, whether it would be the scammy or legitimate ad, ad blocker will prevent you from being the victim of malvertising that could likely lead you to ransomware victimization. Thus, this will be a good protection from ransomware because it blocks all the ads including malversation.

  • Train Your Company’s Employees

Do you think educating yourself about how to be protective against ransomware would be enough to sit back and feel good about your company’s data security? If yes, then what about your hundreds and thousands of employees who are working on the same network? They could also fall victim for ransomware that could lead you to no option than paying that hefty amount of ransom to regain your data, and the worst part is that you just can not control them either.

However, all that is in your hand is to train your employees about ransomware, hold sessions about the protection of company’s data against ransomware and drill this practice every while and then to ensure better the protection from ransomware of your business’s data that could become inaccessible after a single click of any of your employees.

  • Disconnect Immediately When You Find Yourself Infected

If you could sense anything fishy after clicking any link, quickly disconnect your device from the network and power off your device. This is because it may save some of your device’s data and can potentially save other computers on the same network. So that it cannot get any malware. Afterwards, when you switch on your device again and luckily found some of the data unlocked then quickly back up that data in a USB and run it on any other device.

But before running it make sure you scan that USB because it may contain some malicious effects. 

Conclusion- The Rise of Ransomware: How to Get Protection From Ransomware?

To wrap it, this era of cruel cyber criminals demands every individual. Be extra cautious over the web to get protection from ransomware and prevent oneself from data loss.  

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