Incidents involving ransomware refuses to die down. There is a new wave of ransomware attacks in Europe. People have been increasingly receiving emails with malware attachments. Those who opened these attachments had their computers encrypted by the malware in no time.
The cyber criminals behind this attack are allegedly demanding $500 as ransom from those affeted for the decryption code. The attachments received by affected users are said to contain a JavaScript based malware which infects the computer and downloads the encryption software/malware responsible for locking the files present on the infected computer.
Once a computer is infected by the ransomware, all the files and folder systems present on the system will be encrypted , rendering them inaccessible. In order to access these files, a decryption code is necessary which will generally be in the possession of hackers responsible for the ransomware attack. It is not a good idea to concede to the ransom demands. One should get in touch with the law enforcement authorities and the ransomware problem can be overcome by installing a fresh copy of the operating system after formatting the hard discs. However, if there are any files containing critical data which is not backed up, then paying ransom maybe the only way to retrieve the data.
Following best practices and keeping backup copies of all important files will come in handy in these situations. That way, affected users wouldn’t have to worry about their files/data and just reinstall the operating system. Some of the best practices includes updating the operating system regularly, using antivirus software, avoid opening attachments from unknown sources, creating and maintaining regular back up of important files etc.