Be Vigilant About Ransomware

I am going to tell you a little story about an encounter I had recently with Ransomware, how I managed to get ransomware and how to be more vigilant about it.

Ransomware is something that can easily be installed on your computer simply by clicking on a website and from there it can be executed and then wreck havoc on your computer.

Now, I was very lucky that when it was downloaded to my computer through a link. I was able to remove it without it executing.
So I was looking at my emails and had an email from someone I knew, who I was expecting something from. I thought it was an invoice however it wasn’t, it instead sent me to a website where the ransomware was instantly downloaded to my computer.

I’d panicked, not knowing whether it had installed a load of things on my computer. Right away I did a clean reinstall and removed everything. However I lost literally everything! The worry was real, I didn’t know if anything was infected and wasn’t risking it.

For that 30 minutes, I was in a state of panic, worrying that I’d been hacked. It was running in the background or whatnot.

So I wanted to be more open about my experience and my close call, but offer some advice that I had found.

Please do some research if you happen to be attacked and have a look at this how to website that will help you implement a back up strategy.

Be Vigilant About Ransomware

It’s not just businesses that can get attacked by ransomware, it is also the every day internet user.

There is ways to prevent an attack as below!

Websites

Be very vigilant with what websites you are visiting as some can create an automatic download. Which then in turn implements a virus on your computer. This can be from malware, spyware to even ransomware.

If this happens, delete immediately and do not run, click or even touch the file/app downloaded.

Some browsers and internet providers can stop you accessing some websites which have been deemed a risk.

Emails

We get spam, all the time!

Sometimes, the spam can be harmful and have files, folders and apps attached that can harm your computer in many ways.

Be vigilant before you download any files or click links from emails.

Only trust senders, if it is questionable, send the person a message and ask if they sent it.

Downloads

Always check what you are downloading and ensure the website you are downloaded from is trusted.

If you are looking for something specific, such as an anti virus, make sure you download this from the company directly.

Use an anti-virus to check the downloads before you execute them.

Protection

There is nothing more vital than having adequate protection on your computer. It is worth the yearly fee to protect your computer.

Remember, although there are free versions of firewalls or anti viruses out there, they are not as updated as paid ones. So be mindful when searching for one and always check the reviews.

All in all, being vigilant and ensuring you are not downloading something that can cause havoc on your computer. Maybe steal things such as passwords, banking details is key to protect yourself and your computer.

*This is a collaboration post