On Friday, May 12, 2017, a Ransomware virus was unleashed, infecting over 200,000 computers in over 150 countries. Known as the “WannaCry Virus”, this infected hospitals, schools, transportation systems, organizations and event governments all faced a ransom demand of $300 in bitcoins (as of 5/15/17, the conversion rate is 1 bitcoin = $1,667.94 USD) or approximately $500,000 USD.
Without getting technical, the WannaCry virus attacks vulnerabilities in computer systems and is not caused by a user clicking a link in an email. Most vulnerable are computers running Windows XP, Windows Vista, or any computer that does not run the Windows Updates on a regular basis.
According to published reports, this is the beginning of the Ransomware Virus infections for 2017.
So, what can you do to protect yourself and your business?
Run Windows Updates on a regular basis. Especially, if you have an older computer that is not running Windows 10.
Install paid Security Software. The free stuff does not protect you properly for Ransomware infections.
Install a backup solution that will back up your system automatically and is kept off-site.
Talk with your IT Vendor about ways to protect your computers and especially your data.
The Federal Emergency Management Act (FEMA) states that 76% of all businesses that suffer a catastrophic loss (such as a virus infection with no backup) will go out of business in less than 24 months.
Are you protected against a possible catastrophe? Do you have security software? Is your data backed up?
One of the products that Elite Networking & Consulting provides for its customers is a strong and intuitive security software program: Bitdefender Gravity Zone Business Security. This software product will learn from your activities and will delete an infected file before you open it.
The Advanced Threat Control will watch your system for infected files and will delete them before you can open them (even if you don’t know that you downloaded them). They also have a service called a “Ransomware Vaccine”, which immunizes your machines against known ransomware blocking the encryption process even if the computer is infected.
One of the best benefits of Bitdefender is that it provides a web-based solution so both the customer and Elite Networking & Consulting can see the infections before they are noticed on the computer.
Source: Elite Networking & Consulting