Ransomware is hitting the headlines more and more lately. Just recently, thousands of companies and institutions, including hospitals, lost access to their data after being hit by a global ransomware attack and were forced to pay a ransom in bitcoins to regain access to it. Being proactive will help protect you from losing your data due to an unsuspecting hacking. Here are a few tips to keep in mind.
Back Up Your Data
This is the most important thing you can do to protect yourself against ransomware. If you have a copy of your data, you’ll be able to restore it without paying any ransom. Do daily backups if possible. Remember that hackers can encrypt your hard drive or your cloud storage if they are connected to the internet, so remove the hard drive with the backup from your computer.
Update Your Software
Windows is constantly releasing important updates that help secure your computer. Always install an update as soon as it’s available; enable automatic updates to make things easier. There are other things you need to keep updated as well, including your browser and its plugins, as well as your antivirus and any other program installed on your computer.
Be Careful and In the Know
Being careful about what you do online is probably the most effective way to protect yourself against any kind of virus or malware. Don’t click on links or open emails that you find suspicious. Only download programs from a trusted source.
For help with keeping your computer and data safe and secure, contact us today!
