Maybe your son is about to do yard work.
You remind him it is critical, as a red head, to put on and reapply sunscreen
to avoid pain and skin cancer.
As skin cancer can be prevented by wearing sun
screen, applying sunscreen is an excellent way, or strategy, for preventing
skin cancer.
The same strategy applies to your data.
Like applying sunscreen to prevent skin cancer, you can apply a variety of
measures to prevent your data from being stolen or compromised.
I’d like to
suggest you apply that common sense situational awareness you apply to other
areas of your life to protecting your data.
Hackers are like the Sun
They are out
there 24/7 probing, locating data they can steal, and stealing it.
Like the
sun, they are a reality and you must deal with them.
Also like the sun, they
are not going away.
For your data situational awareness, be
aware that hackers are always probing your device (tablet, computer, cell phone,
etc.) but what they want is your data.
Therefore, you must have a multi-layered
strategy to protect your data from very real threats…like ransomware that can:
- Prevent you from accessing Windows.
- Encrypt files so you can't use them.
- Stop certain apps from running (like your web browser)
All ransomware will infect your device
and demand that you pay a ransom to get access to your computer or data. 
DO NOT
let that happen.
Here are some tips to prevent it from happening in the first
place.
Ransomware: WanaCry Example
One of the most recent hacking probes
occurred on Friday, May 12, 2017. It was known as WannaCry.
It attacked computer system data on approximately 350,000
computers in more than 150 countries within the span of 48 hours.
WannaCry
is a unique ransomware strain that exploits a critical Microsoft Windows Server
Message Block (SMB) vulnerability to spread like a worm, lending to its rapid
propagation after just a few hours of initial detection.
The exploit spread
across network shares, encrypted data on the shares and left users unable to
access their data unless they paid a ransom in the form of untraceable Bitcoin
currency.
Thousands
of users turned on their computers that day to see the following message:
"This
massive ransomware attack was less successful than it would have been had they
not sought their ransom payment in bitcoin. As criminals who use bitcoin to
hide their activity to avoid being discovered, arrested and prosecuted, they
assumed everyone knows how to obtain and pay them in bitcoins.
Bad strategy on
their part because, for all the computers they attacked the best estimate is
that they only collected approximately $40,000 in bitcoin ransomware payments.
Although
this attack eventually fizzled, we may not be so fortunate the next time.
Hackers continuously analyse where they went wrong, redo their code, and send
out a variation on the original ransomware several times after the original
ones. Maybe you can take the steps suggested here before the follow up WannaCry
code or other ransomware attacks your data."
You
need a strategy to prevent data loss from ransomware and other attacks.
Here
are a few suggestions for how to get started.
Simple Ways to Prevent Loss of
Data
- Use strong passwords and change
them frequently
- Keep all your software up-to-date
- Add the most recent software patches
- Double check every email to
confirm it is safe
- Verify that you know the email
sender before opening it
- Verify any link in the email is
safe before you click it
- Back up your data (more below)
Back Up your Data
A
basic strategy is to keep device, offline, or cloud backups of your data.
And to
be able to use your data, you will also want to back up your software programs
at least once.
For
ransomware attacks like this WannaCry, having backed up your data prior to the
attack enables you to ignore it.
If you have all your data backed up, you
cannot be fleeced out of your money.
Adopting
a strategy of redundant backup is a good practice.
The table below lists
several tools that will help you ensure that you can back up your data so it is
available when you need it.
Chose one or two that are most useful to your
circumstances.
Tools
|
Description
|
Cloud Computing
 |
Cloud computing is taking services, including backup
services, and moving to shared systems. Applications and services are
accessed via the Web, instead of your hard drive. The services are delivered
and used over the Internet. The cloud infrastructure is maintained by the
cloud provider (such as https://aws.amazon.com/). This is a strategy that
particularly applies for those who use their device and data outside their
office.
|
Online Data Backup as a Company Service
  |
There are many companies that will store your data
at their data center on their servers, for a fee (such as Carbonite, Rackspace,
etc.) and many other companies will backup and protect your data daily, for a
fee online backup service that will automatically backup and synchronize your
data across multiple devices.
An online backup service makes it easy to access
data from a mobile office. Even if you have just one computer, this is a
great way to ensure consistent backup and accessibility of your data after a
system crash, ransomware attack, natural disaster, or other threats to your
data.
|
External Hard Drive
 |
An external hard drive is a storage device located
outside of a computer that is connected through a USB cable or wireless
connection. An external hard drive is usually used to store media that a user
needs to be portable, for backups, and when the internal drive of the
computer is already at its full memory capacity. These devices have a high
storage capacity compared to flash drives and are mostly used for backing up
numerous computer files or serving as a network drive to store shared
content. External hard drives are also known as removable hard drives. Available
online or in retail stores such as Best Buy, Wal Mart, or Staples.
|
USB Flash (Stick, Jump, Thumb) Drive
 |
Insert to your device USB port. They are removable
and rewritable. They are storage capacity has risen and their price has
dropped. It is a good practice to keep one with your keys so you always have
it available to copy files, especially in an emergency. USB sticks are
constantly increasing in capacity and are highly useful for quick data
backups. They are highly portable. Available online at The American Civil Defense Association (TACDA.ORG) website at our Survival Store. Our thumb drive is waterproof, EMP hardened as it is titanium, and contains our how to prepare for natural and manmade disaster course work you can master in your free time to keep your family safe.
|
Backup Ghost Computer
 |
If you have valuable business or family data, you
can invest in a backup computer or device. Keep all your data on two devices
and if one goes down you will have another one with all your vital data. Computer prices have fallen so much in the past few years this is an option.
|
Do
not risk being locked out of your data.
Create a backup system NOW that
includes archiving and routinely back it up.
You can do this manually or
automatically.
Auto Install or Manually Install Patches
Consider
that those who applied readily-available Microsoft Windows patches on a regular
basis BEFORE the WannaCry attack were protected.
Other companies installed
patches immediately upon hearing of the WannaCry malware and were protected.
Both strategies worked, but is it always better to install the patches via auto
install well in advance of an attack.
Anti-Virus, Anti-Malware, and Other Data Protection
There are many
excellent antivirus, antimalware and other data protection software packages
available. Prices and features vary.
Many free ones are available online. Here
is a link to a few: http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2388652,00.asp
Don’t Fall for Phishing Scams
Phishing
is a leading way that cybercriminals steal data.
You receive an email that has
an urgency to it. Inside the mail is a link that the sender urges the recipient
to click.
The link takes the user to a fake website and your data can be
compromised.
NOTE: NEVER open a phishing email!
Power On
Final
Tip: Data depends on devices (computers, tablets, laptops, cell phones, etc.)
that depend on POWER. To make sure you can access your data, make sure you
always have power by maintaining extra that transmit power to your devices by
remembering to have these items working and available.
- Mouse batteries.
- Computer batteries
- Power cords
- Surge protector
- Laptop batteries
- Generators (solar, diesel, gas)
For more tips on how to identify and fight ransomeware, click here.
