Most of us read about the devastation that Ransomware unleashes out on the technological world, but what should you do if you fell victim to these faceless criminals.
No More Ransomware is a project comprised of law enforcement and IT Security companies that have joined forces to disrupt cybercriminal businesses with ransomware connections.
The “No More Ransom” website (www.NoMoreRansom.org) is an initiative by the National High Tech Crime Unit of the Netherlands’ police, Europol’s European Cybercrime Centre and two cyber security companies – Kaspersky Lab and McAfee – with the goal to help victims of ransomware retrieve their encrypted data without having to pay the criminals.
Since it is much easier to avoid the threat than to fight against it once the system is affected, the project also aims to educate users about how ransomware works and what countermeasures can be taken to effectively prevent infection. The more parties supporting this project the better the results can be. This initiative is open to other public and private parties.
Paying the ransom is never recommended, mainly because it does not guarantee a solution to the problem. There are also a number of issues that can go wrong accidentally. For example, there could be bugs in the malware that makes the encrypted data unrecoverable even with the right key.
In addition, if the ransom is paid, it proves to the cybercriminals that ransomware is effective. As a result, cybercriminals will continue their activity and look for new ways to exploit systems that result in more infections and more money on their accounts.
Remember, any consumer and any business can be a victim of ransomware. Cybercriminals are not selective, and are often looking to hit as many users as possible in order to obtain the highest profit.