Best Ways to Protect Yourself from Ransomware Attacks By Antivirus Software

 Best Ways to Protect Yourself from Ransomware Attacks By Antivirus Software

 

If you've been paying close attention to the news in the last few weeks, you know that many companies have been affected by ransomware. Recently, this type of cyber attack has been increasing, and many organizations and users are naturally concerned about it. You should be like that too. Ransomware is very annoying. However, with proper preparation, you can significantly reduce the risk of infection and, if infected, reduce the impact on you and your organization.

What is Ransomware?

Ransomware is a type of malware that infects devices, networks, and data centres, locking the system and making it unusable until the user or organization pays the ransom. Ransomware has been around since at least 1989. That year, a Trojan called "PC Cyborg" appeared, encrypting filenames on hard drives and demanding that users pay $ 189 in exchange for unlocking them. Since then, ransomware attacks have become more sophisticated, more targeted, and more profitable.

 

What is the Infection Route?

Ransomware can be sent in many ways, but the most common is to attach the infected file to an email. For example, today I received an email disguised as a bank. The logo was correct, the link to the bank URL and my name were correct. The body of the message said, "We have found suspicious activity in your account and you need to install an attachment to verify your credentials." It sounds like a coherent story, but it wasn't. This was a phishing attack.

I noticed that because it's unlikely that a bank would send a file and ask you to install it. Checking your credentials is ridiculous. The attachment was infected with ransomware. If I clicked, it was loaded on my system.

However, email attachments are not the only mechanism of infection. There is also a drive-by download. This means that a user visits an infected website and the malware is downloaded and installed without the user's knowledge. Ransomware is also spreading through social media, such as web-based instant messaging applications. Recently, vulnerable web servers have been exploited as entry points to gain access to an organization's network.

How to Stop It?

Below are 10 steps you need to take to protect yourself and your organization from the effects of ransomware.

1. Make a backup and recovery plan. Back up your system on a regular basis and save the backup to another device offline.
2. Professional email and web security that can analyze email attachments, websites, and files to detect malware and block potentially compromised ads, social media sites, and anything that has nothing to do with your business. Use the tool. Use a file that also has a sandbox function so that new files and unconfirmed files can be executed and analyzed in a safe environment.
3. Be sure to patch and update your operating system, equipment, and software.
4. Be sure to run the latest updates on your device and network with antivirus, IPS, and antimalware tools.
5. If possible, use application whitelisting to prevent unauthorized applications from being downloaded or executed.
6. Segment your network into multiple security zones. This prevents infection in one area from easily spreading to another.
7. Set permissions and permissions. This reduces the number of users who can infect business-critical applications, data, and services.
8. BYOD security to inspect and block devices that do not meet your safety standards (no clients or anti-malware installed, anti-virus files are still out of date, the operating system needs to be patched, etc.) Develop and enforce policies.
9. Deploy forensic analysis tools. This will identify a) where the infection came from after the attack, b) how long it has been in your environment, c) check if it could be removed from all devices, and d) try the attack again. It becomes possible not to receive it.
10. This is important: Don't assume that your employees can keep your organization safe. It's also important to upgrade user awareness training to teach employees not to download files, click on email attachments, or follow unsolicited web links in emails, but humans have a range of security. It is the most vulnerable person in the world, and it is necessary to plan in anticipation of it.

Conclusion

Cybercrime is a commercial business that makes billions of dollars. Like most businesses, cybercriminals are eager to find ways to make money. They use tricks, blackmail, attacks, threats, and temptations to access your important data and resources.

Ransomware is not new. However, there is a growing tendency to look for new and unexpected ways to attach to individuals and companies that are using the Internet, and these days, it is becoming more sophisticated and popular.

Security is no longer an addition to your business. Security has become an integral part of running a business. Work with a security expert who understands that security is more than a device. Security is a highly integrated, collaborative system that combines effective policies with a lifecycle approach of preparation, protection, detection, response, and learning.

Security solutions need to share threat intelligence to efficiently detect and respond to threats anywhere in a distributed environment. As networked environments evolve and grow, security solutions must be woven into the network fabric for seamless protection. You also need the ability to adapt dynamically as new threats are discovered. And it shouldn't interfere with your way of doing business.