Ransomeware is by far the fastest growing threat online. Losing your files can feel as so great a loss that paying criminals to give you your files back can seem like a reasonable thing to do. The problem with that is just that there is no guarantee they will give it back and end the blackmail against you, and you would be helping organized crime with the money you are forking over.

Dealing with ransomeware requires preparations. Although there is no way to be 100% sure of avoiding problems – there are certain things you can do to reduce the risk of losing to the scammers. These include:

• Keeping your software up to date
• Denying unwanted network traffic by using a firewall
• Knowing how to detect social engineering attempts
• Avoiding the use of admin accounts for regular users
• A solid backup policy using offsite and offline storage

Register as a Safecontrols Insider today and download the free whitepaper that can help you set up the necessary defenses, and also to prepare for the actions you need to take if cybercriminals are able to get past those defenses and lock down your files anyway.