Ransomware Defense 101

If you have been seeing the news from this weekend, you’ve probably heard about the massive ransomware attack that occured last Friday. The attack affected businesses and organizations all over the world including FedEx, the NHS in Great Brittain, and a major telephone company in Spain. One report stated that it could have been even worse except for the unintentional actions of a technician attempting to study the attack. And while it isn’t known who the attacker is quite yet, it utilized a vulnerability first discovered but left undisclosed by our own NSA then leaked on the Internet.

Ransomware attacks appear to be growing in both frequency and scope. There are already warnings that another attack could be imminent. So what can the average user do to protect themselves?

Here are three basic steps you can take immediately to improve your odds: Update, defend, and backup.

Update: First, make sure you are updating your computer’s operating system and programs. Windows is now set by default to download updates, but have you looked to see that it is working as advertised? And while you’re at it, how about Java and Adobe? Are your browsers updated to their current versions? Each represents a potential vulnerability if not kept up to date.

Defend: Second, how’s your antivirus? Is it getting the latest signatures? Is it a comprehensive package or just a file scanner? Is it the current version, or the one that came with the computer? As threats evolve, so do antivirus programs. And while we’re on the topic, you know when something’s free, what it’s worth, right? Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you’re covered just because you installed that freeware three years ago.

Backup: Finally, how are you backing up your data? If your PC had to be wiped, could you put everything back from another source? Have you tested your backup to make sure you can retrieve your files when you need them? Do you take your tapes or disks off site? Do you have a cloud backup? Both just in case one or the other is compromised?

There’s plenty more you can do to protect yourself from malware and ransomware, not to mention the random hardware failure, but these three steps are a minimum essential foundation to make sure that a bad situation doesn’t turn into a true disaster. Got questions? Give me a call. I’d be happy to help.