Imagine this: you’re hard at work, when suddenly your computer freezes. A screen tells you that your computer is locked, and your files are completely inaccessible – until you pay a fee to the programmer.

It’s called ransomware, and according to some experts it’s a crime on the rise.

A recent survey of major businesses by the Australian Government reported that 72% of respondents had experienced a ransomware incident this year. Just two years ago, this figure was only 13%.

What Is Ransomware?

Ransomware is a malicious program that can infect your computer – often arriving in the form of a fake or “phishing” email. The unsuspecting recipient opens a file or clicks a link, activating the program, and it proceeds to encrypt the user’s files.

A screen is then shown informing the user that they must pay a fee to release their data. This is often demanded in Bitcoins, as this effectively prevents the authorities from tracing the funds.

Some variants pretend to be working under the aegis of a legitimate authority – for example, the Metropolitan Police or the FBI – but no such authority would in fact use such tactics.

At least one variant is particularly damaging, as it has been so badly made that even if the end user does pay the ransom, the files cannot be unencrypted.

What Can You Do If You’re Affected?

Paying the ransom is not recommended – although it may release your data, it may also get you put on a “sucker’s list”, making you more likely to be targeted again. However, for some companies it appears to be the only option. Last year, an American police department in Tewksbury, Massachusetts was forced to pay the ransom after several days working with the FBI, Homeland Security and private firms failed to provide an alternate recovery method.

The unfortunate fact is, if you’re affected it may already be too late. The only way to recover from a ransomware attack is to revert to an earlier backup – and if you haven’t got one, you have no other option.

In the case of the Tewksbury police, their most recent back-up was on an external hard drive, which had been corrupted in the same attack, as the virus was able to target all connected drives. Their most recent uncorrupted backup was 18 months old, and it would have been impossible to fill in the missing data.

This is one of the cases where prevention is most definitely better than cure – if you have backups made regularly and stored off your network, then even the most malicious ransomware attack won’t be able to keep you offline for long.

At Tristar IT, we can help prepare your system to defend against attacks, and help you recover in a worst case scenario. Our IT support in Barnet and the surrounding areas can be tailored to your needs – whether that’s a regular backup service or a having a technician ready to respond to an incident. For more information, contact us on 0844 939 0333 today.