Ransomware; prevent, recover or pay?

Ransomware sounds like a recent problem but we have been experiencing it for 30 years. Since the late eighties it has become an increasingly common problem. In most cases hackers access your computer through email or an advertisement and block access to the system or encrypt the files. It is very difficult and sometimes even impossible to get these files back.

Hackers usually demand a ransom payment to unlock your files or computer. However, this never happens in around twenty percent of the cases. What can be done against ransomware?

Hackers are becoming smarter

Hackers can access your computer in increasingly cunning ways. They can pretend to be law enforcement officers, leading the victim to a page where they are told they have been caught using illegal online practices. The victim must then pay a fine in order to regain control of the computer or files. These types of actions can sometimes be very persuasive so pay close attention and think logically when something similar happens to you.

5 tips to prevent ransomware:

1. Make sure your files are backed up. This helps repair the damage as quickly as possible.
2. It is also useful to install special software that protects you against ransomware.
3. Keep your software and system updated!
4. Be careful with emails that do not make sense, avoid clicking on any links if they look suspicious.
5. If you are not sure about an email or link you opened, contact the relevant website as soon as possible. Turn off the internet connection to prevent any virus from spreading.

The solution for ransomware

As you have read, things can go wrong very quickly, but what should you do if things go wrong? Most of the times ransomware victims are asked for money in exchange for their data. The police advise to never respond to ransomware money demands. There is no guarantee that you will get your files back and by paying you will maintain the criminal process. Once the files are encrypted, there is very little you can do to recover them. The No More Ransom Website has a few tools that can help you recover your files, but unfortunately, this does not apply to everyone. When it comes to ransomware an ounce of prevention is really worth a pound of cure.

Solution = Prevention

vBoxxCloud protects you against ransomware attacks. Our cloud solution saves old file versions and deleted files. This means you can always go back in time, to restore your files. If ransomware manages to get through the filters, you can use a special anti-ransomware tool; the snapshot feature.

This feature looks at current file versions, deleted files and older file versions. You can then restore a copy of a moment in the past when all the files were still intact and continue working as if nothing happened. This is possible in just a few minutes without any extra costs. This saves you a lot of time, stress and money.