How to protect your PC from ransomware? How to defend against ransomware and avoid losing data. We explain in this article how to protect yourself from ransomware, this particular cyber threat that encrypts files and takes them, hostage until a ransom is paid. Rest assured, defending is possible (and it’s not even complicated).
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All about malware- viruses, trojans, spyware and other threats
How to protect Windows from ransomware? What is ransomware, and how to protect yourself? Ransomware is actually malware that prevents you from accessing your device or encrypting files on it. In doing so, it prevents access to your data unless you agree to pay.
They can be implemented in the form of a Trojan horse, so you can download it without your knowledge, thinking it is another file or that it can expand without requiring interaction from you, as it was for WannaCry.
How to protect your PC from ransomware? WannaCry is the most blatant example of what ransomware can be. It spread very quickly and contaminated 300,000 computers in 150 countries by exploiting a Windows bug. Cerber is another example of ransomware- it enters your system with a trojan, then encrypts your files, and demands a ransom from you.
It is easy to get infected by downloading a pirated movie or software, and only hackers can decrypt files once the system has been contaminated. Other famous names are- CryptoLocker, Petya, Bad Rabbit, AES-NI, Osiris, and others.
How to get rid of ransomware from PC? Both home and professional users want to protect their data from these threats with anti-ransomware software. Unfortunately, they are becoming more and more popular and more and more expensive. This year we have seen 400% growth in different versions of ransomware.
This means that protecting yourself from known threats is no longer enough; you also need to know how to protect yourself from new threats and zero-day vulnerability. Even if you already have an antivirus program, it is useful to have additional protection against this type of threat because it can cost you thousands of dollars.
Fortunately, many services allow you to be well protected and keep your data safe. Below you will find the best programs to protect yourself from ransomware on PC.
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Here are the 5 best programs to protect you from ransomware on PC
If you want to install a program for the security of your computer, you will be surprised by the number of programs available and the different types of security that exist. All security software provides protection against ransomware, so it’s interesting to know which programs to install to have an antivirus and recovery solution.
Trend Micro RansomBuster
- Benefits– Behavior-based detection, folder protection, and file recovery (limited)
- Cons– no full recovery system
RansomBuster uses a behavior-based detection system. The first sign of suspicious activity backs up any files that the ransomware attempts to encrypt or modify. So, if it thinks it’s really ransomware attacking your files, stop the process and restore your files from backup. In addition to behavior analysis and limited recovery, it has file protection that prevents unauthorized programs from accessing files located, for example, in the Documents folder.
In theory, this all sounds great, but the recovery feature is only enabled when suspicious behavior is detected. Backing up all your files, locally and in the cloud, is even more interesting because you don’t have to take any risks and are sure to recover all your data in all cases.
Cybereason’s RansomFree
- Benefits– Identify ransomware behavior by analyzing thousands of variants
- Cons– Behavior-based protection might be useless in full-disk encryption
This program detects and blocks ransomware by identifying their behavior. The company analyzes tens of thousands of ransomware variants and determines how they work. The program uses baits on your computer and watches how potential ransomware react. It is important to note that if you delete these files accidentally, the protection against the ransomware would be reduced.
RansomFree detects and blocks shady activities before informing you via a pop-up. From there, you can stop and remove the threat with just one click. However, if ransomware tries to encrypt your entire hard drive instead of just acting on certain files, behavior-based protection can’t do much for you. For example, PCMag found that RansomFree was unable to stop Petya and protect your PC from ransomware. Therefore, it would be best if you used an antivirus in addition to this program.
Bitdefender Anti-Ransomware
- Benefits– Free for some ransomware versions
- Disadvantages– no proactive zero-day protection
Bitdefender’s anti-ransomware program is free and non-intrusive. It prevents certain types of ransomware from encrypting your files, including CTB-Locker, Locky, Petya, TeslaCrypt. That said, it works very differently from other anti-ransomware software.
This type of software makes these families of malware believe that your PC is already infected. Unfortunately, this means that there is no active protection like others have, so you will probably want to add another level of protection to the one proposed. If you want to protect your PC from ransomware, you will need to opt for a paid solution.
For 64.99 euros, Bitdefender Internet Security 2019 offers protection on 3 devices for one year, has an advanced threat protection system that detects suspicious behavior and blocks ransomware, while protecting files against ransomware prevents (among others) the encryption of your data.
Avast
- Benefits– Free anti-ransomware and antivirus program
- Disadvantages– protection for important files accessible only in the paid version
If you need different types of protection and want to have different features, Avast has different solutions for you. Avast offers a free antivirus and different levels of protection, of course, for a fee. The free version offers real-time antivirus, antimalware, and anti-ransomware, as well as a Wi-Fi scan and password management.
The ransomware protection feature is available in paid versions, offers additional protection against ransomware and any applications, preventing them from modifying, deleting, or encrypting your personal files.
Unfortunately, protecting your PC from ransomware is not part of the free version of Avast. Instead, it costs 59.99 euros per year.
Anyway, if you don’t want to pay, you can get a free virus and ransomware protection. With the free version of Avast, you can add Acronis Ransomware Protection, which is also free and allows you to recover data locally or from the cloud.
Acronis Ransomware Protection
- Benefits– active protection, local and cloud recovery (5GB free)
- Disadvantages: Trusting or blocking suspicious processes is tedious
Acronis Ransomware Protection actively monitors the system to detect suspicious processes and stop them before they can harm your computer. When ransomware is detected, you will be notified; you can choose to block it permanently. You will also be protected from known threats like WannaCry and Petya or other unknown attacks.
You can restore data locally (from your disk) or from the cloud. Acronis offers free 5GB of online storage with its protection software; you can buy more space. But, of course, there are always situations where data protection and recovery cannot solve the problems.
Possible threats that are not immediately recognized as ransomware but considered suspicious are highlighted. Processes need to be individually verified and blocked or trusted, which is a bit tedious.
To protect your PC from ransomware, the software must work in conjunction with an antivirus; you need to install one like Avast to protect it from viruses or malware.
Conclusion
Protect your PC from ransomware by adding a level of security to that already offered by your antivirus. There are many things to think about when choosing the anti-ransomware program, including price, cloud data, and recovery, both online and offline. Let us know in the comments what you think about security and ransomware.
