CyberSolv

Ransomware locks your customers’ computers or encrypts their files, holding them ransom until they pay a fee to the cybercriminals who hold them hostage.

This is a sponsored article brought to you by Trend Micro. 

What is ransomware?

Ransomware is malware that prevents or limits users in accessing their devices. This forces its victims to pay the ransom through online payment methods to restore access or get their data back.

How can my customers get infected?

Users who visit malicious or compromised websites may have downloaded the ransomware, unwittingly. It can also arrive as a payload that another malware has either dropped or downloaded. Some are delivered as attachments to spammed email.  Once executed, it can either lock the computer screen or encrypt files with a password.

How can I prevent my customers from getting infected?

Here’s six ways you and your customers can help prevent ransomware infection right now:

1. Always check who the email sender is.
   If the email is supposedly coming from a bank, verify with your bank that the message is legitimate. If it came from a personal contact, confirm if the contact sent the message. Do not rely solely on trust by virtue of relationship, as even a friend or family member may be a victim of malicious actors as well.
   
   
2. Double-check the content of the message.
   Often, there are obvious factual errors or discrepancies that you can spot in a fake message. For example, if your bank or a friend claim that they have received something from you, try to go to your recently sent items to double-check their claim. Such spammed messages can also use other social engineering lures to persuade users to open the message.
   
   
3. Avoid clicking links in an email.
   It is safer to visit a site mentioned in an email directly. If you must click on a link in an email, make sure your browser uses web reputation services to check the link first.
   
   
4. Always ensure your software is up-to-date.
   Regularly updating installed software provides another layer of security against many attacks.
   
   
5. Backup important data.
   One good practice is to ensure your customers have the latest backups of their files. The 3-2-1 Principle should be in play: three copies, on two different medias, with an additional backup in one entirely separate location.
   
   
6. Download from legitimate sites or sources.
   Only download programs and files from credible websites and not from other sites that just indicate they have the actual file or program.
   
   

How can Trend Micro protect my customers from ransomware?

Trend Micro Security powered by extended detection and response (XDR) blocks these threats from possible points of infection. It prevents access to dangerous websites, including harmful links from social networks, spam and email messages. It also warns the user about running recently downloaded files.

To learn more about Trend Micro XDR and how you can employ it in your customers’ networks, contact the team at TrendMicroSales@tdsynnex.com.