Usually, when clients talk to us about “tech trends” they are thinking of good things – hot new apps, the popularity of digital assistants, or the newest generation of mobile devices. However, we find that more and more frequently business owners are calling us because they are concerned about ransomware.

If you aren’t familiar with the term or concept, ransomware refers to a type of malware that infects a computer and encrypts all the files. They can only be unencrypted and accessed again using a special security code that is provided by the hacker who created the software in the first place. In other words, it holds all your data ransom.

These types of attacks are sadly becoming more and more common in 2018. In fact, earlier this year a particularly nasty piece of software affected millions of computers around the world, forcing schools, hospitals, and businesses to pay millions in order to keep operating.

It’s no wonder so many business owners and executives are worried about becoming the next victims. With that in mind, let’s look at four things you should know about ransomware…

#1 Ransomware is a Real Security Concern

It’s easy to think of ransomware attacks as something that just happened to some other company, but it really can affect you. It’s not really known how widespread the problem is, but industry estimates suggest that American companies have lost tens of millions of dollars already in 2018.

In other words, this isn’t really a problem you want to ignore.

#2 Prevention is the Best Ransomware Cure

As with most other forms of malicious software, ransomware is generally spread through attachments, suspicious emails, and untrustworthy websites. By keeping yourself and your employees away from these, and following smart procedures about passwords and backups, you can go a long way towards making your company a hard target for cyber thieves.

As an added bonus, these measures also make you less likely to have trouble with other forms of viruses, spam, and malware.

#3 Your IT Partner May be Able to Combat a Ransomware Attack

Our understanding of ransomware has increased quite a bit in recent years, and we have better tools to fight it than ever before. In some cases, a good IT team can undo the effects of an attack simply by disconnecting the affected devices and rolling back to previously-saved versions of files.

For that to work, though, you have to have a good backup and recovery system in place already. And, it also helps a great deal to have a trained team of IT professionals who can work quickly without making things worse.

#4 You Probably Shouldn’t Pay a Ransom to Hackers

The one thing you almost never want to do when dealing with a ransomware attack is to pay the hackers. After all, that just gives them an incentive to do the same thing again later. Besides,

it will probably cost you a lot less to just fix your security issues permanently.

It can always be tempting to look for a quick fix, especially when you can’t get access to important computers or files. Paying off hackers is never a smart strategy for the long term, though.

Want to Protect Your Business?

Looking to protect your business from ransomware and other data security threats? Talk to the expert team at Fantastic IT in Los Angeles today. We can help you design an affordable and effective plan that keeps your information safe and your company running smoothly.