Should ransom be paid after a Ransomware cyber attack?

• The cybersecurity company S2 Grupo has highlighted that 99% of Ransomware cyber-attacks are triggered by people's interaction, i.e. by clicking or downloading an infected file.

• The company's experts have drawn up a ten-step guide to avoid becoming a victim of this type of malware or minimize its impact.

Valencia, October 27, 2022 - For the last ten years, October has been declared "European Cybersecurity Month" as part of an initiative launched by the EU institutions, the EU Cybersecurity Agency and the Member States. In this context, the Valencian company S2 Grupo wanted to contribute by warning about one of the most common cybersecurity threats such as Ransomware. This is a type of malware that hijacks data and prevents access to certain parts of the infected computer and for which a ransom is demanded in exchange for its release.

Experts from this cybersecurity and critical systems management company have pointed out that one of the peculiarities of this type of cyber-attacks is that 99% of them depend on human interaction to be activated.  

"A figure as high as this shows the importance that each one of our clicks can have on our security. For this reason, the most revolutionary and essential thing we can do to be cyber-protected is to know and incorporate good digital practices in the use of technology. This measure is the main protection barrier we can use" explained José Rosell, managing partner of S2 Grupo.

"It is essential that we pay close attention to all the documents we download or install because, however harmless they may seem, they can contain this type of malware that goes unnoticed at first, until it encrypts the files and can even reach the backup copies", said Miguel A. Juan, managing partner of S2 Grupo.

"The question that arises when we are victims of this type of cyberattack is whether the ransom should be paid or not. The answer is clear: never. If we give in to this type of blackmail, we are encouraging this type of crime to continue and, on top of that, paying does not guarantee that we will be able to access the files again or that they have not been damaged", continued José Rosell.

Decalogue to avoid becoming a victim of Ransomware and/or minimize its impact:

1. Be very careful when downloading files - Ransomware can be hidden in a wide variety of download files on the Internet, mainly on pages related to downloading music, series or video games.
2. Beware of email - the most frequent way used to carry out this type of cybercrime is  email through a phishing action. In this type of identity theft action they usually ask for passwords, authentication data or other sensitive information. If we receive an email of this type, the first thing to do is to be suspicious and confirm that the URL that appears is official.
3. Do not install unofficial apps; this is the main way to infect smartphones and tablets.
4. It is essential to have backup copies, to make them periodically and to protect them on removable hard disks or in the cloud to be able to access them in case of theft, loss or encryption.
5. Always keep all operating systems up to date because manufacturers include cybersecurity patches in new versions to prevent them from being vulnerable to cyberthreats.  
6. Also update the antivirus.
7. Become aware of the importance of cybersecurity and establish cybersafe habits, such as those mentioned above.

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