Using Microsoft OneDrive to Protect Your Files from a Ransomware Attack.

The threat is real folks!

Perhaps you've been hit by a ransomware attack in the past or you know someone who's been hit by this threat but I'm here to tell you that the threat is real folks! Yes, this can happen to you and once you're hit, you at the mercy of the attacker. All it takes is for you to download malicious software by either clicking a link in an email or just by visiting an infected website. You can be impacted even when there's antivirus software present. In fact,

the more likely scenario is that you will be hit with some sort of malware even with anti-virus running.

In this blog, I will help you understand how to use Microsoft's OneDrive for Business as a tool to help protect your files from all forms of malware including ransomware.

How does ransomware impact me?

Once ransomware has made its way past your antivirus software (of course, provided you do have antivirus running) it could potentially be game over and yes, malware can get past your antivirus scanners. Unless you have solid ransomware detection which your antivirus software may not have, it’s just a matter of time when this attack will go after and encrypt your files and hold your files for ransom. What ransomware does is encrypt files on your system making it impossible for you or any utility to unlock them. Once your files are locked, a countdown clock will start, giving you a certain amount of time to pay for a "key" to have your files released. Once payment is made, usually in Bitcoin, you'll receive the "key" to unlock and release your files but there's no guarantee you'll receive anything, after all these are not noble persons we're talking about. If you elect not to pay the ransom, the countdown clock continues to run until it hits zero, then your "key" is destroyed and your files can no longer be recovered. The only thing you can do now is recover from your backups, which by the way, when was the last time you've backed up your files?

What can you do about it?

There's no such thing as fool-proof in the virus malware world. Hackers are looking to exploit weaknesses every day and if they can get paid while doing it, makes it all worth their time and energy. Everyone should have antivirus installed on their computers as their first line of defense and additionally, you should also have a malware detection solution for your second line but as I mention there's no such thing as fool-proof. This is where OneDrive for Business comes in handy. OneDrive is a cloud storage solution for syncing your your files from your devices to the cloud. This solution is provided by Microsoft and has a ton of other features including a ransomware detection & recovery feature. What makes this backup solution stand out is that you will be alerted if OneDrive detects a malicious attack and give you the option to restore your files in the cloud, for up to 30 days while in the cloud. This feature comes with the OneDrive for Business not the free OneDrive Basic, however you can setup OneDrive Basic for limited protection by setting up OneDrive Basic as a Stand-Alone Backup storage solution. You won't get any alerts nor the 30-day file restoration but your files would be tucked away safely in the cloud. If you wish to read more on this, please checkout section: "Should I backup or sync my files in OneDrive?" on my blog titled "OneDrive and How to Backup or Sync Your Important Files to the Cloud."

Ransomware detection & recovery

OneDrive for Business which is part of the Office 365 subscription, gives you the file restoration and alerts. Microsoft markets this as a method to protect your system from ransomware attacks along with the syncing and backing up of your files. Typically, when computers are hit with ransomware, the virus will look for mapped drives including cloud storage connections and will delete those files in these storage locations, thus leaving you only with the encrypted copies on your computer. What OneDrive for Business does is alert you if it detects that your files are being deleted in the cloud and through OneDrive’s web app, allowing you to recover to a time before you were hit with the attack.

What are you waiting for?

I believe OneDrive is worth a look if you have not already done so. You get a lot of protection and peace of mind for your buck and in a world today were attacks are increasingly more imminent, I wouldn't look pass this layer of added protection.

If you need more information or would like help setting up OneDrive through a live remote session, please send me an email at amylers@myofficetutor.com or visit my website MyOfficeTutor.com to schedule a session.