The Tech Paramedic
Computer Repair

What is it? 

Ransomware is a type of malicious software cybercriminals use to block you from accessing your own data. Part of the attack will include a demand for money (often in the form of Bitcoin) in exchange for decrypting the files.
 

How does it happen? 
The most common way is by a victim opening an email attachment disguised as a legitimate file.

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Can it be undone? 
It’s critical to take steps to protect against ransomware before the attack occurs. Once files are encrypted it’s virtually impossible to decrypt the data without paying the ransom.
 

How can it be prevented?
See "The Basics”  on the Tips & Tricks page regarding email attachments and keeping your devices up to date.

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What about backups?

Ransomware has created a new challenge for protecting files using backups. Even properly maintained backups can be vulnerable to ransomware infection as these backup drives/services are almost always connected to the infected computer as it's being attacked. In order to protect the backup files, the drives must be either be physically disconnected from the computer before infection or password protected thereby making them inaccessible to the malware. Both of these options have obvious disadvantages in that they complicate the ability to make regular scheduled backups.

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