In today’s digital era, planning an effective strategy to keep ahead of ransomware attackers is an absolute necessity. Many individuals and organizations have understood the importance of having a cybersecurity plan after being a victim of cyber-attacks. If you are looking to take preventive measures against ransomware attacks in 2020, then read the following strategies:
#1: Educate Yourself about Ransomware
In the first place, you should have adequate knowledge of ransomware. This is vital so that you can protect your data from cyber-attacks. You should learn about the sources from where you can get ransomware. Primarily, phishing emails, brute force attacks, infected executables, exploit kits, and third-party applications are the sources that attackers use to inject ransomware. Once you have a clear head on sources, you must learn how to protect your data against ransomware. You can even attend cyber-security training programs to implement good cyber practices.
#2: Install Ransomware Protection Software
To detect ransomware behavior beforehand, you must install reliable protection software. This is an excellent strategy to recognize potential cyber hacks. You should understand that a ransomware attack has a specific behavioral pattern that can be easily detected and prevented in the presence of software. Ransomware protection software is one step ahead of hackers/cyber-criminals. It can help you recognize the attacker’s game plan.
#3: Hire Ransomware Investigation & Removal Services
Consulting professionals at a ransomware protection agency is one of the most practical strategies to prevent a ransomware attack. The experts offer specialized services to protect your files, emails, databases, intellectual property, websites, etc. A qualified cybersecurity agency can help you deal with a ransomware attack in the shortest period so that you can quickly return to normal operations. Besides, outsourcing anti-ransomware services is essential to avoid any financial losses in the future.
#4: Network Access Restriction & Strong Password Policy
It is sensible to practice good cyber hygiene to guard against ransomware attacks. Network access restrictions and having strict password policies are indeed two valuable strategies. Network segregation not only protects your data from ransomware attacks, but you can also gain control over other cyber threats. Restricted network access ensures that whole network security is not vulnerable to a cyber-attack. Moreover, creating a solid system password can make it difficult for attackers to access your data and associated accounts. Direct a firm password policy by setting different passwords for different sites and accounts.
#5: Update Your Devices Regularly
If you desire to avoid any system lapse, it is best that you update your devices regularly. Falling behind on patches & updates can be pretty catastrophic. Therefore, you must patch and update your servers, network storage devices, and PCs once or twice a month. A strict patching schedule is a great strategy to prevent ransomware attacks. If it’s in your budget, you can employ several patch management tools to extract benefits from automated patch deployments.
#6: Make a Full Backup of Your System
Above all, you need a backup, backup, and backup. System backup is crucial to protect your data from potential external threats. You must have your sensitive documents and confidential data in the right hands. Thus, you must have a backup both locally and in the cloud. So, in case your system is attacked by ransomware, you can use backups to clean the infected system and repair/restore the entire data. Remember that cloud backup is imperative, as this can ensure an additional protection layer for your data.
