Ransomware is malicious software that contains viruses that restrict the user from logging into their computer until the user pays the person to unlock their own computer. The virus is often spread through emails, mostly because someone can easily click a link on accident which can lead to malware being downloaded onto your computer without the user knowing. You might’ve seen some common ones: “Your computer has been infected with a virus. Click here to resolve the issue.” Don’t be fooled because once you click “click here to resolve the issue,” you will download a virus without any knowledge. The main reason why hospitals are often targeted is because, without their patient records, they won’t be able to maintain their hospital and patients. Some methods I use to protect myself are a two-factor authenticator, VPN, anti-virus software, and Ad blockers with security features. I encourage everyone to at least download a two-factor authentication app because, in my experience, using the two-step authenticator with the phone number can get bypassed by hackers. It’s important to protect our information. Lastly, use backups such as a hard drive or cloud platforms like Google drive, One drive, and iCloud. These platforms helped me a lot in the past when I had viruses on my computer.
Hi Montajim,
I like how you added examples of common viruses. That really helped me visualize what forms viruses may take, and how they may use tricky wording to convince people to click on them. I also use two-factor authentication because even though it can be a hassle sometimes, I know its keeping my information much more safe than if I were only using a password. I tend to back up my information on a hard drive since I often run out of storage on cloud based storage platforms like Google Drive or ICloud, and usually the data I need to access isn’t data that I need to have on hand at all times.
We actually use the same methods to protect ourselves from potential viruses. With VPN though I only have it on my work laptop. Is that a method I could also use on my personal laptop? Thanks for sharing.