What is Ransomware?
Software that bad guys put on your computer (by clicking on an email attachment or link) that encrypts (makes unusable) files on your computer such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and more.
Can I get rid of it?
Yes it is possible to remove the ransomware malware and make your computer safe to use.
Can I recover my files?
Once these files are encrypted, at this time NO ONE is able to make your files usable unless you pay the bad guys a lot of money. At this time none of the following have found a way to recover your infected files – FBI, NSA, Norton, McAfee, PC Matic or your local computer geek. If someone tells you they can recover your files don’t believe them. If you get infected the only viable solution is to clean up your computer and then restore the files from a backup that took place before your files got encrypted. Ransomware is really bad news.
Can it infect my thumb drive or my network or my USB storage?
YES.
How do I protect my computer from Ransomware?
Backup, and test your backup regularly. Keep your Anti-Virus software up to date and all the software on your computer up to date and be careful what you click on. Some of the best methods to protect your computer are on my website http://www.byteconnections.net and select “avoid malware”
For more information go to this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBXrncdEifo Rather than clicking on this link for your safety I recommend you open a browser and type the above address into your address bar.
About our guest author, Lew Stoner
Lew Stoner is the chief engineer and partner at Byte Connections. Lew brings years of experience supporting and maintaining corporate IT infrastructure. He is an expert in security solutions and will be sharing that expertise here on the BoydTech Design Blog. We are very happy to be able to share Lew’s insights with you all.
Visit Lew at www.byteconnections.net or on LinkedIn
