Paying the ransomware demand is never the answer to keeping computer files safe. In fact, meeting the ransom demand is never a guarantee to receive the decryption key either. There are ways to get rid of ransomware without paying the demand. Not getting infected remains the preferred course of action, thought, but it is becoming increasingly difficult to avoid these attacks.
Never Pay A Ransom Demand
The general unwritten rule is to never pay a Bitcoin demandd when dealing with a ransomware infection. Although this may seem to be the course of action to restore file access, it is never a guarantee to fully recover data. Criminals tend to make it difficult to avoid his option by including timers which will increase the Bitcoin demand when the payment is not made within a particular period.
Paying his demand is not the safest & cheapest option by any means. Right now, the average bitcoin demand is over US$720, and given the current Bitcoin price trend, that number will only increase over time. Moreover, paying up the Bitcoin demand sends a signal to other criminals looking to exploit victims who have a track history of paying money when dealing with ransomware.
Getting rid of ransomware without paying can be done in multiple ways. First of all, there is the No More Ransom project, which allows people to decrypt files as a result of ransomware infection without paying any money. Although his platform cannot decrypt every type of ransomware infection yet, the more common types of malware can all be removed with relative ease.
BleepingComptuer is another valuable source of ransomware advise. Their help and tech support section can be quite useful when getting rid of malware on your computer. Do make sure to read through all stickied information first before making a new thread, as most common questions have been answered multiple times over in the past.
In the end, the best option is to ensure ransomware cannot become a problem for your devices in the first place. Back up data on a regular basis, and no sensitive information can get lost in the processed. Do not store information on network-attached devices alone, and keep offline copies as well. Moreover, do not trust the average tool kit claiming to prevent ransomware attacks, as it is impossible to provide full-time protection around the clock.
This time of year will be filled with targeted ransomware distribution attacks. Consumers tend to get slightly more careless during the holidays, and criminals are looking to pounce on innocent victims. Ransomware is a significant threat, but if everyone does their homework, the world will become a safer place rather quickly.
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