• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
IdentityTheft.org

IdentityTheft.org

Identity Theft Protection, Statistics & Prevention

  • FAQs
    • What is Identity Theft?
    • How to Prevent Identity Theft
    • How to Check for Identity Theft
    • What to do if Your Identity is Stolen?
    • How to Recover From Identity Theft
  • Resources
    • Data Breach Awareness
    • Scam Alerts
    • Types of Identity Theft
  • Protection
    • Credit Monitoring
    • Credit Freeze
    • Identity Theft Insurance
    • Identity Theft Attorneys
  • Report Identity Theft

What is Ransomware and How to Protect Against It?

Ransomware attacks a user’s system and renders it useless. It can hold an individual or company’s information hostage and allow control only after paying the desired amount. This is illegal but quite common. The biggest issue with ransomware is that it is available in various forms. Some people may receive it as a link in an e-mail message, infected websites, fake apps, and much more.

Ransomware e-mail messages increased by over 600% during the pandemic, and there were several cases where companies and individuals had their information hostage because of it. Before learning how to prevent it, let us discuss the different types of ransomware.

Types of Ransomware

The following are the most well-known ransomware types that you need to be aware of.

WannaCry

This ransomware infected nearly 200,000 different computers around the world.   The ransomware uses an exploit created on Microsoft Windows, called EternalBlue, developed by NSA. This is quite similar to other ransomware software that holds your info or system hostage for money for a certain amount of time.

UIWIX

UIWIX uses a system similar to the WannaCry approach but can infect users through the internet network. It can also use the internet to infect other users and scan for them. The only difference between WannaCry and UIWIX is that the latter is file-less.

Petya

Petya is different compared to others as it does not infect files one by one. Instead, it uses a master file table (MFT), rendering the master boot record (MBR) inoperable. This could make your system reboot several times.

How Can You Protect Against It?

We have mentioned the most well-known types of ransomware, but there are countless other variants too. Users must know how to protect themselves against all versions of ransomware. You can use the following methods to ensure that you do not have trouble with ransomware:

Keep Constant Backups

The biggest leverage that ransomware attackers have on users is that they have all your information. However, if you back up all that information somewhere, and an attacker demands $10,000, you can rest knowing that you have all your information stored somewhere safe, and there isn’t much that the attacker can do about it.

However, you should know how to backup your information properly. Most people do not know this, but hackers can go through your computer system and access your backups as well. This means you need to backup all your information on cloud storage.

You can do the same on an external device (not connected to your computer directly). Ensure that you connect the external hardware only when you need to make data transfers and remove it immediately.

Filter out E-mails

E-mail threats are the most common tool for ransomware hackers. It is because people get several e-mails daily. This increases the chance of accidentally clicking on an unwanted link and sabotaging your system information.

Therefore, you should always pay attention before opening an e-mail. You must always consider the sender’s credibility and the kind of attachments in the e-mail. Thus, staying vigilant solves several of your problems right away and leaves the ransomware attackers helpless.

Install an Antivirus

Installing an antivirus is the best way to keep your computer free from possible attacks. It is important to note that there are plenty of antivirus programs that you can choose from. However, none of these antivirus programs provide 100% protection.

Nonetheless, it is still a good way to have additional security against unwanted information breaches. Antivirus programs can detect deviations in your system, scan for system files, and remove them when needed. All of this makes your system much more securer than it would be without an antivirus program.

Use Security Patches

Most hackers access files by taking advantage of loopholes and vulnerabilities in file structures. However, users that install security patches make these files and applications much more secure. Ensure you update programs like Java, Flash, Adobe, etc., to avoid unwanted situations.

Bottom Line

Ransomware can allow hackers to take control of your information and system, leaving you vulnerable. Most of the hackers demand ransom to return your information. However, simple steps like security patches, antivirus installation, e-mail filtering, and information backups can help reduce these cases.

Copyright National Council on Identity Theft Protection© 2022

Identitytheft.org is a privately owned website and is not owned or operated by any state or government agency. The government operated website can be found at Identitytheft.gov.

  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Sitemap