No doubt the ransomware is one of the worst computer security threats. Hackers with this type of attack seek to encrypt files and systems to later demand a financial ransom in exchange for releasing them. Keep in mind that this type of malicious software can arrive by different means, but one of the most common is through the email. For this reason, in this article we are going to talk about whether we are really protected.
Steps to avoid email ransomware
be prepared for identify and block ransomware It is essential not to compromise security and privacy. A cybercriminal could take advantage of any mistake we make or any vulnerability in the system. They can especially use services such as email, so that is where we must take extreme precautions.
Recognize a fake email
The first step to knowing if you are prepared to avoid ransomware by mail is to be able to recognize when an email is fake. You can receive many emails, but not all of them are going to be reliable. Some are simply spam, but others may be phishing or contain files that are actually ransomware.
Therefore, you must identify very well the origin of that email, know who is sending it and why, and never open an email in case of doubt. More importantly, never download or open an attachment without being absolutely sure that it is not a security threat.
Keep systems up to date
Another very important point is to have the systems correctly updated. have the latest versions of Windows, of the browser or of any program that we use and that has access to the network is really essential. This will also help prevent threats such as ransomware.
Sometimes vulnerabilities arise that can be exploited by attackers. If we accidentally open a malicious email attachment, that malware may be designed to take advantage of a certain security flaw that may exist. Thanks to having everything updated we can prevent it from advancing.
Have a good antivirus
Something similar happens with the fact of having good security programs. They are going to be essential in order to prevent the entry of malware and knowing how to identify when a file that we have downloaded can be a security problem and affect us.
As examples of antivirus we can name Windows Defender, Avast or Bitdefender. However, there are many options available. You simply have to choose the one that adapts to what we are looking for and that is really going to protect us. In addition, it is also possible to install other tools such as a firewall or even security extensions for the browser.
Backups
Although this is not really a method to prevent the entry of ransomware, it is certainly very important to prevent serious damage. what we do is create a copy of our files, of the content that can be attacked by ransomware and encrypt it to then ask for a ransom in return.
It is the method that will give us peace of mind and will reduce the damage in case we become victims of this type of attack. We must always create backup copies and have them well stored to protect the content of our computer, mobile or any hard drive.
In short, these are some of the main steps to know if we are well prepared to avoid ransomware by email. You must know when ransomware attacks are more frequent and in this way also be more prepared so as not to have problems of any kind.
