how to avoid having crypto locker issues on your system

Use security software and keep it up to date.Ransomware will look for data backups and encrypt or delete them so they cannot be recovered, so use backup systems that do not allow direct access to backup files. Make sure your backup data is not accessible for modification or deletion from the systems where the data resides. Backups won’t prevent ransomware, but it can mitigate the risks. This protects your data and you won’t be tempted to reward the malware authors by paying a ransom. This way, if you do get a ransomware infection, you can wipe your computer or device free and reinstall your files from backup. The best way to avoid the threat of being locked out of your critical files is to ensure that you always have backup copies of them, preferably in the cloud and on an external hard drive. To avoid ransomware and mitigate damage if you are attacked, follow these tips: If a data backup is unavailable or those backups were themselves encrypted, the victim is faced with paying the ransom to recover personal files. Once files are encrypted, ransomware prompts the user for a ransom to be paid within 24 to 48 hours to decrypt the files, or they will be lost forever. The ransomware may also exploit system and network vulnerabilities to spread to other systems and possibly across entire organizations. This binary then searches and encrypts valuable files, such as Microsoft Word documents, images, databases, and so on. After presence is established, malware stays on the system until its task is accomplished.Īfter a successful exploit, ransomware drops and executes a malicious binary on the infected system. Malware needs an attack vector to establish its presence on an endpoint. Often ransomware (and other malware) is distributed using email spam campaigns or through targeted attacks. Without access to the private key, it is nearly impossible to decrypt the files that are being held for ransom. The attacker makes the private key available to the victim only after the ransom is paid, though as seen in recent ransomware campaigns, that is not always the case. The public-private pair of keys is uniquely generated by the attacker for the victim, with the private key to decrypt the files stored on the attacker’s server. This is cryptography that uses a pair of keys to encrypt and decrypt a file.

How to avoid having crypto locker issues on your system