With all the positive advancements in information technology, the growth of cyber crime has been a notable drawback. Cyber crime refers to committing theft or any other criminal act through the use of computers or any other tech gadget. In the past five years, Ransomware has been a major source of cyber crime activities.
Ransomware is a malicious software that does not allow you to access your files if it takes over your computer. The creator of the software demands ransom (as the name suggests) from the victim, if they want to gain access to their files again. The payments are normally made in non-traceable transactions through a cryptocurrency (normally Bitcoin) to ensure the attacker’s safety. The victims get so confused and scared that they immediately agree to pay the amounts without considering if the hacker will grant them access or will not do it again. The hacker prevents you from accessing the files through encrypting them with a logical key and the decryption key is provided once the payment is made.
There are a lot of ways you can become a victim of a ransomware attack, the most common being a phishing scam i.e. an email that tells you that the attachments are safe to download, and once you download and open them the hacker can gain access to all your files. Other than this a more notorious ransomware type is NotPetya, that takes advantage of security holes without the need to trick you into downloading or opening any files. Sometimes attackers use the identity of a law enforcement agency to get into the victim’s head and scare them because of the presence of pornography or illegally installed software.
The way cyber crime and data hacks have increased recently, companies are paying more and more attention towards cyber security. The basic ways to avoid being a victim of a ransomware attack include:
- Make sure your operating system is up to date so that there are fewer bugs and vulnerabilities for hackers to take advantage of.
- Do not download or install any file that you receive via email or any other means, and do not give any software admin rights until you know exactly what they do.
- Always have an up to date antivirus program installed in your computer. Make sure your antivirus is good against malware. Put a firewall on any unknown applications in your PC.
- IT Horizons can consult you on all possible ways to protect your organization from cyber-attacks, considering all your specific business needs. We can provide you with a more holistic perspective of your organization’s IT related needs, especially regarding cyber-security. We manage your data, ensure timely and secure backups, and make sure none of your data is compromised.
Protection against data security has become a become major concern and companies are investing heavily especially after the data breaches at Equifax and Yahoo. These breaches have put companies on red alert, and their cyber security teams are ready for all kinds of attacks.
Start PRIORITIZING data security TODAY and CONTACT US NOW for more information on data security and related IT services!