How to stay safe from ransomeware and virus attacks

Ransomware attacks are not like the normal virus attacks where the destroy your data and mess up your computer systems network, but they seize your data and information for ransom. This is carried out through the process of encryption. In this process all the important data in the system will be encrypted using a specific key, such that the key is essential to recover your data in original usable form. The Ransomware which is created by the team of hackers would ask you to pay for decrypting and getting back your important data. And, there is no guarantee that you will get back the data if you pay the ransom amount.

In order to stay safe from ransomeware, we have to take care of two broad aspect.

1. To make sure that ransomeware software will not enter into your computer
2. if the ransomware entered, the we should be able to replace the data under seize with the backup data.

First part, to ensure that the ransomeware wont enter your computer. You should understand, how does the ransomeware enter the computer. These ransomeware programs are spread not reached to a computer through normal delivery mechanism, they make use of the vulnerabilities that are existing in the computer systems and then exploit the vulnerability to enter in to the computer from a remote location.

In order to protect the computer from entry of a ransomware,

1. You have to regularly update the computer operating system
2. You need to regularly update the software and services used in the computers
3. You should have a reputed security suite (antivirus software) installed and regularly updated virus definitions. 
4. You should use a proper firewall software, which is regularly updated.
5. Do not use any pirated Operating System or Software or Antivirus 

Second part is to have proper mechanism for backup and restoration. It is always better to keep a regular backup of the important data. You can follow any of the mechanism listed below for backing up your data.

1. Use cloud storage for backing up your important data
2. Use external and portable hand drive / DVD/ Blueray/ Tape drives to backup the data.
3. Or use any of the automatic backup solutions available in the market

Other optioin would be, if you are using older version of Windows, and doesnot have the budget to upgrade to latest versionso f Windows operating Systems, then choose Linux!.