Ransomware is a malicious software that is designed to block access to a computer system until a sum of money is paid. It encrypts computer files such as word, excel, or photoshop documents so that users cannot access or edit the files, supposedly until the ransom is paid. However, in many circumstances, paying the ransom still does not grant users access to their files.
Typically, trojan viruses such as ransomware are exposed to computer systems through external emails with enticing information. Unsuspecting users may download these files, allowing the virus to be installed onto their devices.
In order to do this, users must right-click on affected files within Drive, then select “Manage versions”. From there, Drive provides downloads for previous versions of the file. Google offers previous revisions for up to thirty days, so users have a thirty-day window to restore files. After moving uncorrupted files to a new database, users should immediately delete all malware versions of files.
On platforms such as Outlook, system administrators may create filters to prevent suspicious emails from entering the network. It is also possible to block emails that exceed a certain file size, or to use the email system to scan incoming mail. Administrators may also install anti-ransom software on the network, or create rules in the domain that protects user files from ransomware.
However, it is most important for users on the network to be able to identify viruses. In order to prevent the exposure of ransomware to a computer system, users should be wary of email downloads, especially those sent by unknown users or with the extension “.exe”, which signals that the file is executable.