How do I avoid ransomware?

How do I avoid ransomware?

Aimed at:  Edinburgh Napier’s staff & students

At work / University:

• Refrain from opening links and attachments that look suspicious.
  Not only does this apply to messages sent by unfamiliar people but also to senders who you believe are your acquaintances. Dangerous emails may masquerade as notifications from a delivery service, an e-commerce resource, a law enforcement agency, or a banking institution.
• Save your work and documents in University managed locations, such as your H drive or shared work place.
  Ensuring that your important documents and data is saved on your H Drive or shared staff work place means that your work will be backed-up regularly and restorable from previous points in time. Files or documents that are stored locally aren't being backed up and therefore can't be restored in the event that they're encrypted by ransomware.

And at home:

• Be sure to back up your most important files on a regular basis, ideally to a separate drive which isn't connected to your computer except when a backup is being made.
• In the event a suspicious process is spotted on your computer, turn off the power immediately and seek assistance.
• Avoid giving out your email address where possible.

Watch the video to find out more: