How to avoid Ransom Cryptolocker Virus

ransom cryptolocker virus pop up message

Ransom Cryptolocker

Ransomware works became extremely common in the recent years. The easiest way to explain this malicious act is to draw you a picture. Imagine you sit in front of your computer in your cosy NY apartment, open up an email that looks like it came from legitimate source and click on a link that is in it or open up the attachment. Suddenly you cannot access anything on your computer and you get a nasty pop-up message saying “pay a ransom to get a decryption key in order to get your files back”. Ransom Cryptolocker is Trojan horse. It looks innocent but underneath is a malware that intends to harm your data. Imagine an even more terrifying scenario – a company with confidential employees’ records, such as payroll and HR records, hours of work in form of reports, etc. get their files encrypted (in a way kidnapped) and the only way to get it back is to pay ransom. Finally New York public service or government institutions (police precincts, and other law enforcement agencies, hospitals, and city halls) get hacked and attacked as well. The bigger and more serious the institution the higher the ransom (starting from $300 and going up to a few thousand dollars). Such attacks usually block part of the data and prohibit access to them until hackers receive the payment. Up until now these cyber criminals kept their word – once the money was received, data was freed. Reportedly virtual criminals made over 3 million dollars on this particular virus. You might wonder why would a government institution pay the ransom? Because it is cheaper and faster to pay it rather than hire an army of IT experts to try to rescue your data. It is an embarrassing and humiliating experience.

Ways to fight Ransomware

To avoid gruesome situations like those above proper safety measures need to be put place. Effective daily backup practices sound like a good solution. At least for now. Cyber criminals evolve along with technology and internet, and so our protection systems need to enhance as well. Another proposed solution is to used cloud back up, enhance firewalls and virus protection. Clearly preventing ransomware should not be taken lightly (if cyber attackers manage to go after governmental institutions, they can certainly get individuals, small businesses, or corporations) and hiring specialists to safeguard your data might be a good idea. It might sound extreme but necessary. A great weapon to fight viruses like Ransom Cryptolocker is Symantec Endpoint Protection with Symantec Ransom.Cryptolocker. The software constantly monitors your network and notifies the administrator about suspicious downloads, viruses, malware and spyware. This particular piece of software allows us to detect the potential problem before any damage is done or a hostage situation is created. Of course you still have the responsibility to look out for suspicious emails and not open any attachments that you did not expect, do not click on links in emails, unless you requested them, and set strong passwords and update them on a regular basis.