How To Be Safe From WannaCry and Other Ransomware Attacks

If you don’t wish to go into details, a simple plan can save you: Data Backup Plan! All you need is a secure backup service to keep your data safe. Get Right Backup now!

We often fail to comprehend that 21st security is not just about installing an antivirus anymore. The proliferation of malware is not just limited to a rogue program on your system. Ransomware Attack is the preferred form of offense for hackers. Unless you are updating your software and backing up your data routinely, you are always at a risk of becoming a victim.

First, let us explain why updating your software, particularly OS security is important. The recent WannaCry outbreak that affected more than 300,000 computers across 150 nations was a horrific example of how easy it is to access software ‘vulnerabilities and exploits’ through the Internet.

It is therefore extremely important to install the latest Security Updates on your OS. The updates come with ‘patches’ to fix existing software vulnerabilities of previous versions.

Read More on WannaCry.

But Are Software Updates Enough?

You must realize that with the rise of Ransomware, security and software updates are not enough. For instance, what do you do if the OS you are using doesn’t get official security updates anymore? Microsoft stopped extending support for Windows Vista in April this year. It had long stopped providing support for XP. Granted, an ‘emergency security update’ was released for XP in the aftermath of the WannaCry mayhem. But by then, a lot of XP users had probably gotten locked out of their precious data.

The scale of the Wanna Cry infection makes it an exception. Almost every month there’s a new strain of Ransomware that infects at least 100 people across nations, if not more.. You might become a victim too even while reading this blog. So why not act right away to secure your data by backing it up on Cloud?

Right Backup is an affordable Cloud Backup service that uses AES 256 encryption to keep your data safe. You can save everything from photos, videos, audios, documents, business records, and more with one single account. That way, you not only make your data secure but can access it from anywhere, and any device or system you want. For more information on Right Backup, click here.

Why does Ransomware lock data instead of the System?

Initial Ransomware strains dating back to the mid-2000s focused more on locking down Systems by flashing bogus messages. The most famous ‘System Locker’ was the FBI Ransomware that would scare users by stating their system has been locked because they were accessing illegal/adult content and unless they paid a penalty (i.e. ransom) their System will not unlock. Such hoaxes can’t work for long.

Then came the data-locker or ‘Crypto’ Ransomware. The newer the strain, the more lethal they are. WannaCry was not the ‘best coded’ Ransomware. It was quite weak as far as coding goes. A few hours after the May 12 attack spread, a temporary fix was discovered in the form of a ‘kill switch’ by a 22-year-old techie from England. However, it has become the most talked about attack of 2017 because of its scale. And the threat is still not over.

So basically, there’s only one golden rule while dealing with Ransomware attacks – not just WannaCry –  that can save you unnecessary headaches and a lot of money: Backup your data regularly.

Why Cloud BackUp Can Save You from WannaCry (and other Ransomware)?

WannaCry works like a standard Ransomware. First, it encrypts — or locks — all your data. Then a pop up crawls up the screen demanding ‘ransom’ in the form of bitcoin currency to retrieve access to your data. Typically, the price increases over time until the end of a countdown, when the files are destroyed or completely locked if you don’t pay up the ransom. The WannCry hackers are demanding a ransom between $300-$600 from victims.

However, people who already have a backup of their data on the cloud (not on external devices) have nothing to worry about. They can access/restore their data anytime they want on any system or device.

What Is Unique About Backup with Right Backup?

Here’s what Right Backup cloud backup service offers:

• Maintains a regular backup of all your data from multiple devices.
• Uses standard encryption to ensure there’s no data breach.
• Makes data access and sharing easy for you.
• Most backup services keep a record of your latest file version. On the Right Backup server, you can save tons of files. So, if you need an older version of any of your file(s), you can restore it easily from Cloud. This also ensures that even if your system is infected with Ransomware, you can retrieve all data irrespective of when your system was attacked.

• Schedule a data backup.

Don’t wait till you have been affected. Act right now!