Your Anti-Virus Won’t Stop Ransomware Attacks
If you haven’t heard of ransomware by now, your business is in danger. Several high profile hacks made the news cycle so far in 2019, but by far the majority of attacks happen to smaller, less protected companies that won’t attract much media attention.
If last year proved anything, it’s that ransomware works, which is why the cyber security world only expects the implementation of the hack to increase as we look ahead. Some entrepreneurial hackers even sell ransomware do-it-yourself kits on the dark web, so it’s never been easier to hold a company’s data ransom than it is right now.
Hopefully you already know these things, and you protect yourself with these tips that we covered in an earlier blog post last year. You even installed a high-end anti-virus that you think will catch any attehttps://www.tossc3.com/protecting-business-year-ransomware/mpted attack before it locks down your computer. HOLD ON A SECOND! What you just did is a very common misconception that dooms many businesses: Anti-virus does not mean anti-ransomware.
As Cybersight explains, what an anti-virus does is takes a database of known harmful signatures, basically digital fingerprints, and uses that to detect viruses. A result of this is that a computer has to be infected with a known virus first for an anti-virus to detect it.
Ransomware is much more difficult because it is constantly evolving, making it near impossible for an anti-virus to detect it. Even old “strains” of ransomware can unleash new variants that each have different fingerprints and aren’t included in an anti-virus’s database. A lot of ransomware strains also delete its own file after infecting your computer, which means that by the time your anti-virus would even recognize that ransomware is on your computer, it has already locked your files and destroyed the evidence.
This is why you need to look for specifically anti-ransomware software. The difference between what anti-virus and anti-ransomware does is large enough to save your business. What anti-ransomware does is look for suspicious files or sneaky changes in existing files instead of signatures. Some anti-ransomware software can even lure ransomware into exposing itself without damaging your computer.
That’s all well and good, but now you’re probably thinking to yourself that on top of the anti-virus you just installed, you have to add anti-ransomware on top of that? How much software do you need to protect your computer from outside threats?
Actually, just one! TOSS C3’s Zero-Day Protection Service (ZPS) a certified anti-virus replacement that works against both viruses and ransomware attacks. If you would like more information on how it works and how you can protect your business with ZPS, please call us anytime at 1-888-884-8677!
For more information on the cloud and how it can help your improve organization , schedule a complimentary consultation by clicking here -> https://www.tossc3.com/free-consultation/[email protected] / +1-888-966-9514