Ransomware – How To Avoid Paying Hackers?

After the rapid spread of Petya and WannaCry in the year 2017, ransomware has become one of the growing threats in today’s digital world. Within very less time, ransomware has grown from manageable concern to the major trouble for security professionals, and today, it has created a potential threat to the business executives all over the world.

Professionals always say that prevention is better than cure. This statement is true not only for cold and flu but for the security issues as well. The experienced experts reveal that if you are aware of the prevention techniques, it is much easier to prevent the impact of any infection on computers.

Internet is already loaded with a wide range of tips and tricks that can train users to spot suspicious content online while using advanced security tools. Some professionals advise using honeypots to prevent the attack of ransomware infections on your network.

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Well, no matter what kind of prevention strategy you are using, no organization guarantees 100% safety from ransomware. That is why it is always important to have a solid recovery plan and back up your crucial data before it is lost. System restoration can help users to recover from worst conditions during ransomware attacks.

The security professionals always advise not to pay a penny to the hackers that have locked your files with encryption malware. Many practitioners even feel that they are not interested in discussing any alternative to ransomware without adequate validation. Below we have highlighted a few reasons for why you should not make payment to unlock your files:

FBI Advises Not To Pay To The Hackers

If we look at the scenario, companies that are targeted by ransomware often want to get back their data as soon as possible. But FBI states that they are not in favor of making payments and there are many good reasons to go with this thought.

Actually, victims are more focused on how to make their organization run normally again. And depending upon the type of infection and the recovery duration offered by the hacker, people are often willing to pay it. However, the FBI says that it is not good to make payments in any situation.

Leverage Collaborative Services

There are numbers of projects and websites that can assist in dealing with locked files without even making any payment. For instance, four large organizations including Europol’s European Cybercrime Center, National High-Tech Crime Unit of Netherland’s Police, McAfee and Kaspersky Lab are working hard to help victims to dencrypt their data without making payments to the cybercriminals. You can easily find decryption tools and instructions online that work for more than 85 varieties of ransomware viruses.

You Can Be Marked As A Repeatable Target

Once you make payment to the criminals, you open new ways for them to attack your organization again in the future. They keep on marking the suckers and will make frequent efforts to target your machines time and again.

There Is No Guarantee To Receive Your Files Back

Those who distribute ransomware are actually rated at cybercriminals. They are habitual of performing illegal and unethical activities to make profits by targeting other’s wealth. Keeping this fact in mind, there is no guarantee that they will send back you the code to retrieve your data after receiving the payment.

You Support The Growth Of Ransomware Crime

FBI states that organizations that make payments to the hackers actually encourage cybercriminals to harm other organizations. Many other new hackers will also get involved in this activity to make profits. Moreover, it is also important to understand that the money you end up paying to the criminals for getting rid of ransomware may be used in some illicit activities around.

It Will Never Teach You A Lesson

Some experienced security professionals reveal that one cannot learn the lesson until he undergoes the pain of detailed recovery, long outage, and high costs of data retrieval. It clearly means that such situations motivate victims to think about solid security arrangements for their machines. When the ransomware issue is solved instantly by making payment, the remediation lessons are missed. You have to learn the lesson and make regular backups.

Cyber Insurance Policies Provide Coverage For Ransomware

There is no doubt to say that cyber insurance policies provide a comprehensive risk management plan for ransomware attacks. You will be happy to hear that concerned organizations are ready to share some financial burden caused by ransomware attacks.

In case if your data is already covered by any such policy, it is better to contact the professionals in the related department and let them think about the possible solutions to the problem. They will handle the desired payment, even if it is to be sent to the hackers.

Summary

It is high time to understand that every ransomware is different. You cannot find one standard method to deal with all types of them. In case you are suffering from some ransomware attack and are not aware of the possible remedies, it is better to ask professionals for help.

You can contact your knowledgeable colleagues, check internet forums, and report the incident to the concerned authorities. If someone advises you only one solution, it is better to contact another firm for help.

We cannot determine the future during ransomware incidents, but it is always important to consider it a learning experience for the coming years. It is important to establish a solid policy to deal with the ransomware attacks. At the same time, check your cyber insurance policy and its coverage criterion. Know how this insurance policy can help your organization financially at tough times.

If you are interested in even more technology-related articles and information from us here at Bit Rebels, then we have a lot to choose from.

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