How To Prevent Growing Issue of Encryption Based Malware (Ransomware)

The Internet is dark and full of terrors! Yes, the virtual world has its fair share of downsides as well. Online threats such as data hacking, virus infestation, malware attacks are common. Ransomware is another addition to the list. Ransomware programs such as WannaCryptor (aka WannaCry) CryptoLocker and CryptoWall are the most prevalent of threats among e-commerce websites.

These malicious applications lurk around waiting for gullible web users to fall for their trap. Once the malware gets installed in the system, it effectively locks all the functions of your computer rendering your OS useless, until you pay the hacker a huge sum of money as ransom. The entire purpose of the ransomware threat is simple to extract money from you for restoring the data it has captured.

Some Scary Stats About Ransomware

Since January 2016, there have been 4,000 ransomware attacks, that’s 300% increase as compared to data from 2015.
In 2015, more than 25,000 enterprise users reported ransomware infections in their computers. A Kaspersky Labs report suggests that in 2016, the number rose to 158,000. A Webroot press release claimed that in 2015, close to 100,000 malicious IP addresses were being created every day, indicating how cybercriminals rely on changing identities.

Read on to know more about the dangers of ransomware and how to protect your computers from it:

Ransomware is not a new term for web developers and entrepreneurs; in fact, this online threat has been around for a quite a while now. It’s been around for a number of years; the first known version dates back to 1989. However, the current sophisticated ransomware that we see today popped up somewhere around 2010. Ransomware is a threat not just to people in business but also ordinary web users who’re online just to check their emails or their Facebook newsfeed.

Listed below is a comprehensive list of dos and don’ts that every web users must follow so as to ensure that they never fall prey to ransomware:

-Install an anti-virus software and keep it updated
-Always keep the firewall activated on the browser
-Never share your personal information or any sensitive data online unless you are sure of the authenticity of the platform
-Never click on suspicious links or pop-ups that claim how your system is infected with malicious programs, and you need to ‘click’ to clean up.
-Keep a backup ready, in case your data gets lost
-Save your data on the cloud, it safeguards your files and makes data recovery easier.
-Keep the operating system and other crucial applications on your computer up to date.