It was a regular morning for me. I got up and turned on my laptop, but when I was about to start working, I realized that all my files were encrypted and inaccessible. At first, I did not realize what was going on. I tried restarting my computer, thinking of it as a bug, but that did not do anything. Suddenly a notepad file popped open on my screen, and I immediately realized that I was under a ransomware attack. Ransomware is one of the most dangerous PC malware out there, and if you don’t deal with it correctly, you can end up losing all your data. How it works is that it encrypts all the files on your computer and asks you for ransom in bitcoin in order to decrypt your data. Most people who suffer this attack end up losing all their files, and sadly it was the same case with me. But it doesn’t mean that everyone who experiences a ransomware attack ends up losing their data. A lot of people have successfully managed to recover their files even after the attack.
No company or individual wants their computers to be infected by ransomware. So here are a few tips that can help you prevent a ransomware attack:
Install Malware Protection
The first and the most important thing you need to do is to install an antivirus on your PC. If you want to keep ransomware at bay, then you will have to construct those boundaries with the help of antivirus software. There is a lot of antivirus software available out there, and the right one will help you identify and ransomware threat files immediately, and you will be able to delete it before it does any damage. I will recommend you to go for a premium antivirus instead of a free one. You may have to pay a little bit of money, but you will have extra features and a better chance of defending your PC against ransomware.
Be Careful With Emails
Most ransomware attackers get you via an email. They are so good at creating fake emails that you would not realize that it is a trap until it’s too late. Normally, they pretend to be some company that you know of and asks you to download an attachment from the email. It is highly recommended that you never download any attachments from suspicious emails. Don’t let your curiosity get the better of you and keep those emails in the spam folder. You can also see if the email is from the original sender or not by closely looking at the email address.
Don’t Download From Third Party SiteÂ
Whether it is a movie, a video game, or a software program, if you are looking to download it from a third-party site, then I will advise you against it. You can find a lot of cheap stuff on third party websites, but these sites are not secure at all. For ransomware attackers, these sites are the hotspots. They will slide a link to their malware so smoothly on these sites that no one will be able to notice it. Just one wrong click and all your files will be encrypted.
Use Clean Flash Drives
If a friend or coworker asks you to plug their flash drive into your PC, then you should think twice before doing that. You don’t know how many PCs that flash drive was plugged in before, and there is a good chance it can carry malware. So, avoid plugging every pen drive someone brings to you into your PC. And even if you have to plug it at all costs, then run a malware scan before opening it.Â
