The different types of Ransomware malwares are as follows:

• Screen Lock Ransomware – blocks access to the device screen for the user.
• Pin Lock Ransomware – changes the device’s access PIN therefore preventing the user from accessing the device.
• Disk coding Ransomware – encrypts the disk itself thus preventing the user from accessing the operating system.
• Crypto-ransomware – encrypts user files stored on disk.

Why should small and medium businesses need Ransomware Protection?

A 2017 Ponemon survey on the state of cyber security in small and medium enterprises showed that within 12 months every second firm from the survey has faced ransomware attacks and in some cases, repeatedly.

Based on the chart above, the statistics clearly show that all though the attacker’s first choice is large scale business, medium and small-scale businesses are not far behind. Nowadays the attacks are increasing rapidly on medium and small-scale businesses because they do have proper protection against ransomware.

So How to protect your business from Ransomware?

Basic steps to prevent and possibly recover data:

• Back up your data regularly and maintain at least one complete backup of your most valuable offline data.
• Keep all applications and software including operating systems up to date by installing updates and patches.
• Use a reliable multi-layer security solution that is regularly updated.
• Reduce possible attack targets by disabling or uninstalling any unnecessary services and software.
• Restrict or disable the use of Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) from sites that are not on the network or enable Network Level Authentication (NLA).
• Check your firewall settings and close any unimportant ports that might be infected.

We hope now you have a basic understanding of what ransomware is and the different types. Ransomware is one of the fastest growing cyber security threats in the world therefore the above tips will be sure to help you to avoid ransomware.

Related

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Any computer that is attached to a network is not immune to viruses however, if you were to compare the vulnerability of Linux to Windows, we can say Linux is more secure.

Malware or Virus is unwanted code that somehow made its way onto your computer in order to perform functions designed with malicious intent. Sometimes these programs slow down your machine or cause it to crash entirely. The creators may then demand a ransom fee in order to fix your machine.

Computer viruses can be transmitted in many ways however the most common are:

• Email attachments.
• Malicious URLs.
• Within applications (such as browser add-ons).

Viruses can easily infect a windows Desktop however a Linux Desktop is slightly more secure. Malware does exist in a Linux Desktop however it’s very rare. The one piece of malware that has recently made the news for targeting the Linux desktop is EvilGNOME which runs on the GNOME desktop environment by pretending to be an extension.

GNOME is the most common Linux desktop environment found as the default interface on two of the most popular Linux distros, Ubuntu and Fedora.

The malware known as EvilGNOME can take screenshots, record audio from your PC’s microphone and upload your personal files. There is a far more detailed breakdown available in a report published by Intezer Labs, who gave EvilGNOME its name.

This malware didn’t attract attention for being particularly likely to impact large numbers of people, instead It was considered newsworthy because it actually existed at all.

Linux is relatively rare on desktops however it’s the most prominent operating system found on servers powering the web and managing much of the world’s digital infrastructure.

Many attacks target websites rather than PCs. Hackers often look for vulnerabilities in network daemons that they can use to gain access to Linux-powered servers. Some will install a malicious script on a server that then targets visitors rather than the system itself.

Conclusion

One of the reasons people switch to Linux is to experience better security. When users switch to Linux, they often think they no longer need to worry about viruses and other types of malware. Whilst this is largely true in practice the Linux desktop isn’t completely secure however when compared to windows, Linux is the far securer option.

Malware can infect a Linux based desktop however it’s far more commonly found in a Linux based server as many attacks target websites rather than PCs.

Thank you for reading and for more details on our products and services please feel free to visit us at intellope.com. You may just find what you need to boot your business forward.

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