Ransomware is computer malware that installs covertly on a victim’s device (e.g., computer, smartphone, wearable device). It’s an exploit in which the attacker encrypts the victim’s data and requests payment for the decryption key. This kind of malware forces the victims to pay the hacker through online payment methods in order to grant access to their systems or to get their data back.
The best strategies you can do to protect against ransomware should include the following:
1. User awareness is the key to preventing ransomware attacks. For example, educate users against phishing emails, suspicious websites, and other scams.
2. Keep the systems and Softwares up to date.
3. Limit administrator privileges and restrict the scope of access for certain user roles.
4. Take frequent backups and store them offline because a lot of ransomware will spread through drive shares and can even reconnect a disconnected drive share.
5. Use network segmentation to reduce the network attack surface.
6. Disable Remote Desktop feature, malware operators have come to massively use Windows native remote access feature and third-party software to drop malicious code onto computers.
7. Use advanced security threat intelligence tools. It can be used to identify IP addresses of known sites. Blocking these sites can probably prevent ransomware.
Ransomware infections are so popular these days. Until now, there is no effective way that would keep users fully protected against this kind of malware. One way or another, prevention is definitely better than medicine, the steps above are free and easy to follow. Good luck.
