Protect yourself from Ransomware, prods Standard Bank’s Acting Head of Marketing Sigrid Tjijorokisa
By Commerce & Industry Review Magazine
An insurmountable number of organizations and individuals around the globe have come under attack in recent months by ransomware, designed to cripple these organizations/individuals in exchange for cash.
As the name suggests, malicious software is installed in various digital devices, corrupting the owners’ files, rendering them unreadable and/or inaccessible, unless the owners of the devices pay a ransom. Within organisations where the digital devices share a network, the ransomware can spread.
“Cyber criminals have perfected the art of tricking people into unknowingly participating in scams. With ransomware, they typically send an email containing a link or a file as an attachment. Once you click on it, malicious software is deployed, scrambling (encrypting) your files and demanding a ransom for their release,” Standard Bank’s Acting Head of Marketing, Sigrid Tjijorokisa warned.
Standard Bank’s Acting Head of Marketing Sigrid Tjijorokisa
She added that when a computer is infected, the ransomware encrypts important documents and files and then demands a ransom for a digital key needed to unlock the files. If victims don’t have a recent back-up of the files they must either pay the ransom or face losing all of their files.
Ransomware is one of the most malicious forms of hacking and malware in recent years it has the ability to not only cripple you personally, but your business as well, corrupting important data to the extent of making it irretrievable.
“The best way to protect oneself from ransomware is by ensuring that you keep your security and software up to date on all your devices, remember to back up your files securely and regularly and to not open emails/attachments you are not expecting,” Tjijorokisa advised.
Unfortunately, for those individuals who find themselves already at the mercy of ransomware, they are advised to not pay the ransom as demanded by the cybercriminals. Standard Bank’s Acting Head of Marketing Sigrid Tjijorokisa
