Cybereason today issued a ‘call to action’ for every consumer in the United States as part of the Federal Trade Commission’s National Consumer Protection Week.
Cybereason urges consumers in the United States to install anti-ransomware technology to protect themselves from devastating ransomware attacks. Cybereason offers a free product, RansomFree, that’s currently used by 700,000 consumers.
Ransomware is a type of malicious software designed to block access to a computer system or computer files until a sum of money is paid. Most ransomware variants encrypt the files on the affected computer, making them inaccessible, and demand a ransom payment to restore access.
The ransomware attack statistics are staggering. Cybereason believes ransomware attacks in 2017 resulted in more than $5 billion in ransoms being paid. Research firm Cybersecurity Ventures predicts that global ransomware damage will reach nearly $12 billion annually in 2019.
“Ransomware is the single biggest cyber threat today facing consumers. We developed RansomFree to help consumers defend themselves against this type of cybercrime,” said Israel Barak, Chief Information Security Officer, Cybereason. “Today, more than 700,000 consumers are using RansomFree, and issuccess means that Cybereason is making ransomware attacks unprofitable for cybercriminals.”
Tips for Ransomware Prevention
● Maintain up-to-date backups of files and regularly verify that the backups can be restored.
● Ransomware is often delivered through the exact same channels as other types of malware. Sometimes it's bundled with and downloaded together with other types of malware. Avoid common malware delivery tactics:
○ Refrain from downloading pirated software or paid software offered for “free.”
○ Don’t download software from dubious sources you don’t know or recognize.
○ Don't open email attachments and avoid clicking on suspicious links in email and social media messages.
● Educate your employees about appropriate security behaviors.
● Install an anti-ransomware tool.
Cybereason’s RansomFree is available for PCs running Windows 7, 8 and 10, Windows 2010 R2, and Windows 2008 R2. Support for RansomFree is available in the RansomFree Support Google Group.
About Cybereason
Cybereason is the leader in endpoint protection, offering endpoint detection and response, next-generation antivirus, and managed monitoring services. Founded by elite intelligence professionals born and bred in offense-first hunting, Cybereason gives enterprises the upper hand over cyber adversaries. The Cybereason platform is powered by a custom-built in-memory graph, the only truly automated hunting engine anywhere. It detects behavioral patterns across every endpoint and surfaces malicious operations in an exceptionally user-friendly interface. Cybereason is privately held and headquartered in Boston with offices in London, Tel Aviv, and Tokyo.
Media Contact:
Bill Keeler
Director, Public Relations
Cybereason
bill.keeler@cybereason.com
(929) 259-3261