Ransomware attacks are more common than we think. Hackers are becoming more aggressive than before. When launched, ransomware encrypts your data and makes it unusable until you pay a ransom to hackers who may or may not release a key to your files. The basics of ransomware and eight ways to protect against it were presented this week during the radio program Air Talk.
Source: Air Talk, KPCC, March 22, 2016.
Some victims have no other choice but to pay thousands of dollars to get their files back. It happened to a Massachusetts police department, an Oregon church, South Carolina schools and, in February, Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, which shelled out $17,000 after hackers shut down the hospital. Two more California hospitals were attacked in the same way. And those are just the cases we know about.
INSIGHTS: Ransomware can quickly shut down a lone computer or an entire system. Air Talk host Patt Morrison says 2016 is the year that “ransomware holds the U.S. hostage.” See recent posts, “Network security only half of the true cybersecurity story” and “Data kidnapping is real and disastrous” to learn more about the importance of securing your network and your data.