Thankfully, most of us will never have a loved one kidnapped and held for ransom – but you might be surprised at how many business owners find themselves faced with the choice of paying off the bad guys or losing the data that drives their beloved business. This disturbing trend is due to the relatively recent boom in a form of malware known as ransomware. This malicious software can make your data inaccessible or even destroy it altogether, so here are some basic facts from our Austin IT support experts about how it works and how to protect your IT system against it.
Ransomware takes various forms, all of them bad but some worse than others. The least threatening kind, “scareware,” lives up to its nickname by presenting you with a frightening-looking warning that your computer is infected with harmful viruses and must be disinfected, warning you to act now to pay for this “service” to be performed. “WinLocker” ransomware locks your computer screen and demands that you pay to have your computer unlocked. MR (Master Boot Record) ransomware makes booting up your computer impossible unless you pay a ransom. Encryption ransomware, the deadliest variety of all, encrypts your data so that you'll never have access to it again unless you pay to get it un-encrypted – and even then, the data may simply be wiped clean.
What can you do? For starters, never open any suspicious attachments on a spam email or even an unexpected attachment from a trusted email account. Make sure you're always running the latest security patches and anti-malware software. Make sure your backups work and are tested. Our experienced IT support team can do this automatically as part of an IT managed services plan. One you get hit by ransomware, even the experts may not be able to get your data back – so take preventative action now!
Related Post: How to Benefit from Our Austin IT Service (When You're Nowhere Near Austin)
