Ransomware: How to prevent or recover from an attack

It’s Monday morning. You hit the office early, logging in to your computer expecting to get a jump on the day. However, this time something is different. Your computer is slow, error messages are popping up, and, finally, it is all replaced by a red screen reading “All Your Important Files Have Been Encrypted.”

You check with your co-workers and the story is the same. Finally, you call the help desk and find out the grim truth — your financial institution has been infected with ransomware. In this scenario, you would be in good company, as the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received 2,474 ransomware complaints in 2020.

What is Ransomware?
Ransomware is a form of malware that encrypts files on a victim’s computer systems, making them unusable. Cybercriminals demand a ransom in exchange for providing the key to decrypt the victim’s files.

 

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