- [Instructor] A successful malware or ransomware attack
can be catastrophic
for both individuals and organizations.
There are some simple steps you can take though
to protect against both malware and ransomware.
Let's look at five of them.
First is frequent backups.
If your system has been compromised
by malware or ransomware,
you may have lost access
to some or all of the data on that system.
If you've been keeping frequent data backups however,
the impact goes from possibly devastating
to merely inconvenient.
Simply restore the backed up data onto an uninfected system.
Backing up your data is especially important
to recover from ransomware attacks
that specifically target your data.
Also make sure you test your backups.
You don't want to attempt restoring your backups
in an emergency only to find they're corrupted
or not complete.
Second, apply security updates and patches.
Malware and ransomware can only work on systems
that are vulnerable to their attacks.
You can significantly reduce your exposure
to malware and ransomware attacks
by making sure your systems have
all their security updates and patches.
Next, upgrade to the latest operating system versions.
If you've been putting off the expense or hassle
of upgrading your operating systems
to their most current versions,
you could be exposing yourself
to vulnerabilities that don't have patches.
Plus, current operating systems are often designed
to be more secure than previous versions.
Fourth, install firewalls.
Firewalls are designed to prevent unauthorized traffic
from getting directly to your systems.
Many forms of malware attempt to exploit systems
that are directly connected
to the internet without a firewall.
There are also types of malware that once installed,
attempt to communicate with a command and control system
outside of the infected network.
Hardware and software firewalls
can block these malicious traffic flows.
Finally, install anti malware software.
No matter how much you try to protect
your network and systems,
malware can still be introduced by accident
if a user becomes a victim of social engineering.
That's why it's important to install antimalware software
on all systems,
and make sure the malware signatures are updated
at least daily.
By following these security controls,
you will be significantly reducing your exposure
to malware and ransomware.