ransomware

Even though we use antivirus software and programs for our devices and systems, no antivirus tool can be 100% secure. One of the biggest common issues faced by home users, businesses, and enterprises is the ransomware. It is highly difficult to fight with it, but not impossible remember.

Ransomware infection is something that scans for specific file extensions in your system and encrypts the files by locking them and the user can’t be able to open them until he/she pays the ransom amount which is usually in the form of bitcoins.

Now let us know about some strong antivirus tools that have the ability to protect your system from these ransomware attacks.

Bitdefender Antivirus Plus 2017

This tool has won the Best Virus detection award continuously for six years. It protects the system files, documents, pictures, music and videos from any unauthorized attacks.

Overall, it is a great tool to defend your system from any such attacks.

Trend Micro Antivirus+ Security 2017

While the earlier tool focuses on protecting some specific files and folders, this program moves forward and prevents the modification of folders, behavioral analysis, file backup, restoring. It even has a hotline number that anyone can call.

Avast Free Antivirus 2017

It is one of the best free antivirus programs available. It has various features like scanning of active malware, behavior-based detection, blocking of malicious URLs and much more.

This one cannot be better than the previous tools which protect from ransom attacks but is much better than an unsecured system.

Cybereason RansomFree

This is a free tool that you can use alongside your existing virus security solution for protecting your system from ransom attacks. It places bait files in the locations where the ransom attackers often begin the encryption process.

Microsoft EMET

Microsoft EMET is the Microsoft Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit that offers some extra layer of protection for the Windows users. It is not a magic wand, but it is designed to disrupt some of the most common attacks.

Kaspersky Anti-Ransomware Tool

It is a free tool and works completely like the other ransom attack blocking tools as we discussed earlier. This tool runs in the background protecting your system from any kind of malicious activity, monitors your system’s behavioral patterns.

Are you still using older versions of various desktop softwares? If so, you may face ransomware attacks.

Cisco discovered hackers exploited vulnerabilities in older versions of Follett which is Library management software used by a number of libraries worldwide. This software uses JBoss Web servers. By using these hackers install backdoors in the targeting systems.

This is not limited to Follett. Most of the computer era still using outdated Windows and Linux applications in their systems.

There are plenty of security loopholes existed in those age old apps. For example, in India DTP operators still using Aldus Pagemaker 5 which is later taken over by Adobe. Aldus is no more, there are no security updates for that software. It doesn’t matter to PC users. This sort of security innocence leads to serious attacks like malware infections, ransomware etc.

Same applies to Adobe Photoshop 7. Adobe changed naming pattern in Photoshop after Photoshop 7. Photoshop is now a part of Creative Suite, which in in other words considered as CS. Begging from CS, CS1 now CS6 is the latest version in the market. But this also doesn’t matter to end users. Because of various compatibility issues they are continuing with Photoshop 7.

Attacks like ransomware doesn’t come through isolated apps mentioned above, those apps connects to internet on a regular basis are the main targets of ransomware attacks. But to bring lack of security awareness in to your notice I took Aldus Pagemaker and Photoshop examples.

What is Ransomware?

Ransomware is also a software which encrypts your hard disk data, and stores the private key to decrypt it on the remote server located at the hacker’s place. They demand premium amount to provide the private key to decrypt your valuable data. The amount they demand ranging from 100 USD to 5000 USD. For organizations which are huge financial support this may be affordable, but for individuals such a huge amount is not comfortable.

So try to upgrade to the latest versions of your regular softwares, otherwise you may become the victim for more security attacks.