Ransomware: How It Can Totally Damage Your Small Business

Just imagine this, you open your laptop or walk into your office, prepared to tackle the whole day. However, instead of a smooth start, though, you’re greeted with a terrifying message: “Your files are encrypted. For a payment of X amount of Bitcoin, we will return them.”

This may sound like a fictional story, but this is happening in real life. This is the cold, hard truth about a ransomware attack and it’s increasingly happening not just in Brisbane, not also in the whole world.

Ransomware is a kind of malware that locks you away from your data and demanding money to grant access. The catch? Even if you do pay, there’s no assurance that you’ll receive your files back. Faced with the dilemma of a business shutdown, companies often make the mistake of paying the ransom, which only incentivises cybercriminals to prey upon more businesses and the impact of an attack can be expensive: financial loss, reputational damage and possible identity theft are only the tip of the iceberg.

To protect yourself, here are the things that you can do:

Back Up Your Data: Backup up your data regularly to an external drive or trusted cloud service. If ransomware attacks, you can recover your files without having to pay the ransom.

Antivirus Protection: Use up to date Antivirus Software as this is your first line of defence against ransomware and other malware.

Email Filtering: Phishing emails frequently act as the first step or entry point to getting ransomware. We can help configure email filtering and teach your team to identify expected emails before they turn into a danger.

Software Updates: Regular updates patch security vulnerabilities in old software that ransomware sometimes takes advantage of.

Network Security: Secure your network using complex passwords and data security systems to prevent unauthorised access.

By regularly backing up your data, using strong antivirus protection, staying vigilant against phishing emails, and securing your network, you can reduce the risk of falling victim. Prevention is always better than paying a ransom with no assurance of file recovery.

Stay proactive, strengthen your defenses, and keep yourself protected digitally.

If you’re looking for an expert computer technician around Brisbane, Afford IT is what you need. Give us a call to learn more.