Ransomware happens to be a destructive malware that could infect the entire system thereby increasing the risk of activities such as blocking system access, erasing files, the financial loss experienced by users as a part of the ransom, and a lot more. Many of the variants demand ransom in the form of gift cards, currencies including bitcoins in order to allow access to the locked files.
Most of this ransomware is activated by user actions that could include accessing a malicious website or clicking on malicious links often found in the spam folder of your mail.
Steps that can be employed for mitigation of Ransomware Infections
- Keep a planned response
Having a detailed plan on what all things need to be done immediately during a ransomware activity.
- Have anti-spam solutions ready and make use of antivirus:
Ensure that your system undergoes regular antivirus scans with the selected option of automatic update. An addition of a warning sign across all the emails could act as an added advantage since it will help the users beware of dangers associated with clicking on suspicious attachments or links.
- Having Backups:
Employing a backup system that ensures numerous backup iterations to be saved is a great step to tackle issues related to ransomware. This is particularly useful if any of the files get infected or encrypted. Apart from this, a regular test on backups is a must to ensure that the copies are operational and whether data integrity is being maintained.
- Restricting Internet Access
Another alternative is to consider having ad-blocking software. Additionally, users can make use of proxy servers. The restriction must be placed on access to some of the entry links for ransomware such as social networking sites and personal accounts on email.
How to Secure End-User
- Displaying a reminder for users to close their browsers when not being used.
- Employees of the organization must be given formal training on phishing and social engineering so that they avoid clicking onto malicious links or opening suspicious attachments that could receive via email. Consequently, they would also be cautious before visiting unknown and not secured websites.
- Having an integral report plan is also necessary for businesses so that the staff is aware of the immediate procedure of reporting when they come across and suspicious event.
How to Respond to an Attack?
Although preventive measures take care of the maximum hardships in advance, certain unforeseen events could lead to uncalled attacks. Therefore, it is equally crucial to be aware of steps that need to be considered when faced with such a situation.
- Try to find if a capable decryptor is available for usage.
- The infected system must be immediately disconnected to ensure that the infection does not propagate across the entire network.
- Carry out file restoration from backups available.
- Reporting the infection immediately to the concerned authority is a must based upon the sensitivity of the information being infected.
