If your business or organization hasn’t been attacked by a criminal using ransomware to shut down your computers, you’re lucky. A recent survey from Osterman Research found that about half of all organizations had been hit by ransomware at least once in the past 12 months. In fact, any would-be criminal can purchase ransomware software and go into business for themselves.
Ransomware Infections are Skyrocketing
During 2015, there were between 23,000 to 35,000 ransomware infections every month. The criminals get paid and are becoming more numerous and greedy. In March of 2016, 56,000 organizations had their computer systems hijacked for ransom. During the first quarter of 2016, these criminals were paid reported ransoms of $209 million. The actual amount paid by businesses to regain control of their computers is unknown but certainly higher. Many choose not to report the crime.
Data May be Lost Forever
A survey of IT pros discovered that less than half, only 42%, were able to successfully recover all of their data from their backup. Reasons for their data recovery failures included:
Failed and unmonitored backups
Encrypted backup drives
Loss of data from the time of the last successful backup
Never Pay the Ransom
The Kansas Heart Hospital learned a hard lesson when their data was encrypted by ransomware. They paid the first ransom and then discovered that criminals aren’t honest. Only part of their data was released. A second ransom was demanded before all of their data would be restored. As a practical matter, there is no guarantee that any promise made by an anonymous thief who could be anywhere in the world will be fulfilled. However, every ransom paid encourages further demands, as proven by the recent spike in ransomware infections.
Prevent your data from being destroyed or shared with the world. Find a fast ransomware fix at MonsterCloud. They guarantee to eradicate ransomware in three days or less. Removal is tricky, best left to experts at file recovery. If MonsterCloud should fail, their Ransomware Removal Service is free. In addition, they’ll pay you $500 for your time.
MonsterCloud offers a full range of IT services for small business. Just look at these business computer services for smb:
Complete managed IT services
IT services customized to the needs of your business
15 years of experience satisfying their customers – 95% renew every year
Call today to learn about MonsterCloud’s simple pricing for reliable, professional IT support.