Ransomware victims are on the rise!

After reading this article, you will be able to better understand:

• The Definition of Ransomware
• The consequences of this attack
• Recommendations to protect yourself
• Training available for your team

Since the start of the COVID-19 crisis, more and more hackers have taken advantage of the increased remote working in businesses around the world. They are sending a variety of malware, including ransomware.

Ransomware is the kidnapping of your data

First, so we're on the same page, the principle of ransomware is to encrypt all of your information on your home or office computer and then demand a ransom from you.

When we say all your data, we mean all the data you store on your workstation. This data could be your business documents or simply your personal photos.

When you are a victim of this attack, it will be impossible for you to decrypt them by yourself. You will have three solutions:

1. Erase your hard drive and start from scratch
2. Use a backup you previously created and use that copy
3. Pay the ransom to the criminals in bitcoin .

Please note: the last option is not recommended, as there is no guarantee that the cybercriminal will not do it again and that the provided key is actually relevant.

Example of ransomware
Source: Image from a third party

Highly profitable criminal activity

The fact that this is a hugely lucrative business these days means that no one is safe from such an attack. In fact, we've seen in the past that
several types of businesses have fallen victim to this type of cyberattack.

They can work in the pharmaceutical, technology, aviation, and agri-food sectors, for example. The main sectors targeted are government, business, and IT.

Team Tips

In conclusion, we recommend not paying a second time. The decryption code the criminal sends you isn't necessarily high-quality and could corrupt your files again, resulting in a loss. One way to protect yourself is to use strong passwords, that is, combine numbers, letters, symbols, and capital letters in your password.

Additionally, providing IT security training to your employees is essential to protecting your company's data. Social engineering is on the rise and is the primary source of intrusion for cyber attackers.