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Modern anti-virus and malware protection are so secure that it’s forcing criminals to be more creative with the ways that they infect. This has led to the birth of ransomware; tools that completely disable your machine until you make a payout of some sort. Dealing with these threats can be very hard, and they can have devastating consequences.

Ransomware will usually present itself as a full-screen, that can’t be closed or minimized. This window appears when you first boot the computer. Either straight after the virus has infected your computer or after a period set up by whoever wrote it. The window will make a threat, which can only be stopped by paying a fee. Usually, these threats are posed as fake authorities claiming you’ve committed crimes. But, remember; the police or government in your country will never let you off of a crime simply if you pay them. So, these things are obviously fake.

If you pay the fee that the ransomware is asking for, you will probably continue to be tormented by it. If you get lucky, they’ll empty your bank account, and the ransomware will disappear. Obviously, both of the situations are far from ideal. So, you should never pay the fee. Ever. Instead, shut down your computer straight away and take it to a professional for help.

Of course, it’s best to avoid these threats entirely. At home, this is a nice and easy. Most of the time, you will only get these viruses if you visit dodgy websites or download data from bad sources. This means that it’s a simple case of being careful when you’re browsing online. Make sure that your antivirus is always kept up-to-date, to avoid new viruses from slipping through the net. And, make sure that you’re using the latest version of your operating system.

Antivirus and malware protection doesn’t protect you entirely. Sometimes, new viruses are written that can circumvent the security you have in-place. This means that it’s especially important to only download data from reputable sources. It’s best to avoid using illegal downloads and torrents that are provided by community members. This is exactly the sort of vessel that criminals use to spread their malware.

For businesses, this task can be a little more challenging. It’s harder for a business to monitor and improve their security, as they have a lot of people on the same network. Unfortunately, most viruses are specifically designed to infect as many machines on a network as possible. So, in a business environment, it only takes one computer to infect all of them.

So, businesses can’t really go-it-alone. Instead, it’s better to protect your business from ransomware with Infrascale, AVG, or another professional company. They will take the weight off of your employee’s shoulders and make it much easier for your business to stay secure. They will also be there is the worst happens, and you lose data, to help your business get back on it’s feet.

Hopefully, this will give you a good idea of how to avoid ransomware. But, it’s still worth doing some research for yourself. This type of malware is very new, and it’s changing all the time. To keep up with it; you need to be prepared for it.