A courageous security breach.
A vicious hijacking of your critical data.
A time-sensitive demand for ransom.
This sounds like a plot from an action movie. Well, we aren’t talking about a movie, but a real life crisis in the name of ransomware. This is a kind of malware that hijacks the company data and hold it hostage till you pay some money. This ransomware goes by a number of names so you need to do some research to know what to look for. Regardless of the name the ransomware adopts, it has a huge effect on company operations.
Veiled Mail Attachment
Just like any other malware, ransomware spreads through a masked or veiled email attachment, an infected attachment or via a website that is compromised. Once it gets into the system, it attaches to all vulnerable files such as documents and zipped files. It also attaches to the network and USB drives to spread.
The email attachment usually comes with a message that looks critical. The email might tell you to submit your details to a given organization and ask you to download a file; little do you know that you are getting ransomware on your computer.
As a company, what should you do?
Secure Your Data!
This point cannot be overstressed enough. Make sure the files on your workstations and servers are backed up well beyond the desktop. You can save them on a network folder or back them up to an external hard drive each day. However, when you do this you need to make sure the drive isn’t connected to the computer as it still remains vulnerable to infection by the malware.
That works if your business is just starting out, if you are established, you need to embrace the cloud. You must have heard about cloud-based services that come with many advantages. Well, to prevent any infection from this malicious program, try and sign up for cloud storage services. You can talk to your service provider to recommend one for you.
Do Not Open Unverified Attachments
Ransomware propagates through email attachments and other sources. You need to train your employees not to open any attachments that have not been verified. Let the employees know what spam is and what is a genuine attachment. Remember, once an employee opens the attachment, it is too late to reverse the decision.
Talk to your employees and teach them how to protect themselves when online. Teach them about viruses and how to keep safe online. Make sure you outline the different damages ransomware has on the system.
Work With an Expert
When you get infected, you are looking for a way to remove the malware and then protect the systems form further attack. For such a task, you need the expertise of a company such as https://www.amazingsupport.co.uk/ that has experience handling ransomware.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to protecting your company data, complacency cannot be accepted. Make sure you keep it out of reach of malware and have backups to restore your files anytime.
