
Stop Malware with these 3 Simple Practices
We are in the midst of a very active and dangerous season for malware, especially ransomware. (You can read more about Ransomware in a previous blog post we wrote, found here).
To help with this onslaught of danger, we at 825 Technologies developed the three best practice to help you avoid Ransomware. These three options have been settled on after hours of discussion, so we are certain they will help. With that in mind feel free to share the following practices with your office, family, friends!
1.) Backup off-site
This is said time and time again, but it is so important! Having a backup is good, but an off-site backup is even more important. You wanna know why?
Simple! If you back up to an external hard drive or jump drive you will have a backup of files, but once you plug it into your computer all of those backup files will get locked with the Ransomware too! The off-site backups are immune to this because of versioning!
There are some really good options for backups. One of the easiest is Carbonite or a great product called ShareSync (we can help your business get a great deal and free setup on both of those options).
If you are looking for a home backup solution, the best option is Carbonite – Here is a link to our Carbonite Portal to get a subscription!
2.) Install Updates
This is such a forgotten step. Most people don’t have time to wait for this to complete, so they skip it! This is a bad choice – having your updates installed and update to date is more important to Virus prevention than Anti-Virus Software!
If you don’t have time to wait for your updates to install, let us know. As a part of our Managed Service plans we update your computers for you. It is a sure way to know you are doing all you can to stay productive and safe!
3.) Get training (and know how to spot malvertisements)
Another great perk of Managed Service through 825 Technologies is free quarterly trainings. One of the trainings we can provide is on how to spot malvertisements. The training on Cyber threats is so very important for you and your staff to help identify those simple tells of a potential trap or scheme that will lead to a virus or malware infection.
For instance, most malvertisements are found on trustworthy and major sites (like bbc.com) but have one of the following characteristics:
- they do not look like they were made by a professional graphic designer
- they have spelling errors
- they promise miraculous cures or celebrity scandals – if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is
- they do not match your recent/typical search history or browsing behavior
Final Thought
Be smart with your time and resources. Be sure to take the time to practice the three above recommendations, and don’t hesitate to ask for help if you need it. 825 Technologies wants to see people enjoy technology and see benefits from using it – and malware is one of the many pitfalls we work to prevent!