As the world is advancing, hackers are coming up with more innovative ways to breach your data. Most of the companies are running their business online, and everything is becoming digital, and this has made us more prone to different types of cyber breaching attacks. One of the most common forms of cyber-attacks is ransomware. Ransomware is malicious software that infects your system, and it falls in the hands of unknown criminals. They don’t give you the access back until you pay them a ransom for that. At first, cybercriminals were known to target common individuals, but now, more and more businesses are seen becoming the target of criminals.
Keeping yourself safe from such attacks is the ultimate solution for everything. Don’t open emails from any unknowns as they could potentially contain the virus in them. Stop downloading content from random websites. Look up to the trusted websites only. Spam websites might contain ransomware, and you could be downloading it without knowledge. Don’t use any random USB for transferring files as this USB could be infected with the virus. The moment you use the USB, the virus will take over your system, and you’ll lose access. By taking these steps, your system will stay safe from any attacks.
However, many unfortunate people fall victim to ransomware and lose access to their system. It’s depressing as your system might be containing confidential content, and now you have no idea what the hacker could be doing with it.
The following are some steps that you should take in case your system has fallen prey to a ransomware attack.
Disconnect the devices from the network
Many people don’t know this, but at times, ransomware can spread to other devices as well that share a common network. If one of your devices gets infected, you should immediately turn off the wifi connection and unplug the infected devices. This will help you to contain the virus in the already infected devices, and it will be far easier for you to control it. Think hard and find out about the source of this virus and warn all the related people of it.
Don’t even think of paying the ransom
Paying the ransom is never a solution. Your data is in the hacker’s procession, and you can never be sure whether the hacker will give you access to your information or not. Many hackers can create a copy of a person’s data and blackmail individuals in the future. By paying the ransom, you actually show them that you are just willing to get your data back at any price. They will ask for more money and will not give you access any sooner. It is estimated that only 15% of the companies that pay ransom get their data back, which means that paying the ransom is most probably going to increase your loss.
Get help from professionals
Professional incident response breach teams are always available to help you in such critical matters. Instead of paying the ransom, reach out to professionals, and explain to them the incident in detail. They help you to remove the ransomware and will go the extra mile to trace the hacker. This ensures that your data is safely retrieved, and you won’t be blackmailed in the future for more money. These teams have experience spread over many years, and they know how to deal with a security incident quite professionally.
