how to protect yourself from ransomware

How to protect yourself against ransomware

TIPS ON HOW TO KEEP YOUR DEVICE SAFE

Any virus infection on your computer, tablet or phone can cause serious stress and may even hurt you financially. Ransomware is a particularly nasty virus, as it provides a personal threat of how your hacked information will be used to harm you. This can cause emotional, mental and financial damage. As with most things, prevention is the best cure. We want to help you stay safe online, so we’ve written a helpful guide including five steps to help protect your tech from hackers.

Keep your devices updated.

Make it a habit to update your device’s programs and operating system to the latest version. Updates generally include security patches that make it harder for cybercriminals to exploit. You can set your device to auto-update if you want this process automated.

Install robust antivirus software.

Having antivirus software installed on your device is your best bet against these cyber attacks. These programs have features that can help you scan for viruses and filter malicious content so that you never have to get them in your inbox. Other programs go as far as providing real-time protection, which can block infected files as you download or stream them.

Enable multi-factor authentication

I’m sure you’ve heard of multi-factor authentication. What it does is add another layer (or two) of security by asking for more information. Usually, it’s a combination of what you know (like a secret question or a pin), what you have (a token sent to your device), and what you are (like face recognition, fingerprint, or biometrics).

Regularly back up your devices

In the unfortunate event that your device does get infected by ransomware, the fastest way to recover is to restore a backup of all your data. It is good practice to always have your files backed up, protected, and stored offline so that the attackers won’t be able to access them.

Avoid clicking unknown links or downloading suspicious files.

Ransomware can sometimes be unknowingly downloaded from what looks like a secure email message. Attackers have become better at making these emails look as legit as possible, so you have to take extra precautions when going through your messages. Check the sender information closely and see if the address is correctly typed and if there are no misspellings. Never open attachments from suspicious emails.

Conclusion

While these steps will go a long way in ensuring your devices are protected against ransomware and other malicious viruses from nefarious third parties, unfortunately, there is no way to 100% protect your device. If your device does get infected, don’t panic, the important thing is to remove the ransomware ASAP. If you don’t know how to do this, contact a trustworthy computer repair/IT support company to assist you.