How do I get my data back if I have ransomware?
Remember when the FBI was asked about how to deal with ransomware in 2015? The recommendation was to pay the fee. Now they have changed their stance. Still most people pay, despite only about half actually getting the data back even though they have paid.
Many ransomware programs will offer a payment deadline and if that deadline is missed, your data is done for. Some like the WannaCry virus can charge rates as high as $600.00 per PC, and if it takes over 30 or more computers on the network this fee could escalate to insane prices. Then you have to pay with some strange bitcoin deal.
There are really not a lot of ways to stop ransomware. Yes, you can do a simple search and there are tools that you can use to take down the mechanism that is encrypting your data so you can use your computer again, but your data will be gone. However, most antivirus software still isn’t sophisticated enough to identify potential threats.
How did ransomware infect your computer?
Just today docusign sent me an email. However it was a fake. I have no docusigns out there. I keep track. I’ve received fake Fed Ex emails & fake IRS emails. As CEO of a tech company I receive more fake emails than most people. Even if the email is from someone I know, like one of my linkedin contacts, a friend or one of my vendors, it still can be fake.
Viral emails aren’t as obvious as they used to be. Remember the Nigerian general emails? Now, dangerous emails actually have my name in them. Often these emails will have an attachment. For the love of god, don’t open the attachment. That’s the primary way ransomware takes control of your computer. At least twice a month I reach out to either businesses or contacts verifying if they had indeed sent me an email. About half of the time they did not. Everyone is so at risk.
How to proceed
If you got hacked by ransomware and missed the deadline to pay, just take a deep breath. They won. Game over. Next, find a backup company that has OFFSITE backup protection. Never ever keep your data locally on your server or computer without an offsite backup.
When you look for a backup company keep in mind that not all backup software actually does what it advertises when recovery time comes. You have to be really smart about selecting a backup company too. Here are some tips.
What you need to look for in a backup company to protect from ransomware :
1. Is the backup offsite?
2. Does it have dual vaults? A vault is only a server somewhere. If something happens to it, another vault will ensure safety.
3. Make sure you choose the business class version even for personal use.
4. Choose a backup with delta block incremental technology. This will impact your bandwidth less as less data has to be transmitted. This also has to do with how fast you can stream data back and forth.
4. Does it offer round the clock customer service that won’t extort you when you need help.
5. Don’t choose the free backup and don’t believe that a $5- $10/mo backup is actually going to work if you get hacked again.
Remote Data Backups has been saving clients with backup and recovery for almost 20 years. We are in business because we only use software that works. We have seen it all. We offer enterprise software, offsite backups which are FIPS compliant, and remotedatabackups.com backups meet all of the requirements in the above list.
Our backup vaults are hardcore dual vault Iron Mountain and HP Enterprise vaults. Get serious enterprise protection for as low as $30/mo for 1 TB. Also, receive 24/7 US support with techs that can actually log onto your system with your permission in the event of an emergency and recover your data. We even offer a free 30 day trial with full tech service for customers to setup service & preform a full recovery to prove the reliability of our products and service. Most of the advertised mega-backup companies can’t touch the level of technology and service we bring to customers for the same price. Stay safe.