The recent spree of ransomware attacks has once again awakened the importance of backing up the data. Whether your system’s software is affected by hacks or is destroyed in water, you can always be prepared by having a strong backup system.
When a ransomware affects a system, it encrypts certain important files in a system and the hackers ask for payment to unlock them. Ransomware can only be read by people who can decode the right key. This service is used by services to secure passwords and credit card numbers.
It is important to be on guard against ransomware by setting up backup options and keeping operating system up to date. Microsoft asks customers to use the right combination of security tools and beware of clicking on dodgy links.
Users can easily backup their data using built-in solutions for Windows (OneDrive) and macOS (iCloud). Anything you save to folders monitored by these services automatically gets synced to the cloud and to your other connected devices.
Both Windows and macOS also have more conventional backup options that let you copy your files over to an external device on a schedule. In Windows, it’s called File History and you can find it in the Update & Security section of Settings. macOS has the Time Machine option, available as a link from the System Preferences dialogue.
One external drive should be disconnected so that it isn’t affected by the malware. The contents of the other hard drive can be stored in the cloud and kept safe. Dropbox lets you roll back to older versions of your files, but only with Plus and Business accounts. Google Drive also keeps older versions of files for a certain period, though they have to be restored one by one, so resetting a whole system could get very tedious very quickly.
When stuck by a ransomware, you don’t need to panic, instead, reinstall Windows or macOS and know the type of malware you’ve been stuck with. When your system is completely clean, you can restore your files from previous backups and relax.
