The Growing Threat of Ransomware
Ransomware continues to gain ground on the web, affecting individual users, corporations, public institutions, and so on. Once files are encrypted, the only hope for the user before paying or losing data is that someone has developed a recovery mechanism, but the ideal is to prevent the infection in the first place, and that is what Malwarebytes Anti-Ransomware aims to do, a new technology in beta.
An old saying tells us that it is better to prevent than to cure, and in the case of ransomware, it fits perfectly. In general, once extortion appears, the user must pay what the attacker asks (between 0.5 and 1 BTC is most common) or risk losing data, but that's not all. The latest ransomware variants are focusing on very sensitive targets, such as hospitals. Nobody in their right mind is going to roll the dice with patient information, so the fastest thing for executives is to accede to the demands, recover the files, and then invest much more money with the intention of reinforcing their security. The problem with this kind of institution is that their update cycles (both hardware and software) are much longer, but security companies are already working, and so we find tools like Malwarebytes Anti-Ransomware.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/WOkUhGlXnRgAn Innovative Approach
That's right, the same company known across the globe for its robust Anti-Malware started a new project aimed at dynamic ransomware blocking, before it can encrypt files. This new technology is based on CryptoMonitor from EasySync Solutions, which was recently acquired by Malwarebytes. The brand-new Anti-Ransomware can intercept already-known elements like CryptoWall, CryptoLocker or CTBLocker, but it also reaches new ransomware that begins to make mischief on the web, thanks to the advantage of operating by identifying suspicious behaviors, rather than comparing entries in a database.
A Simple Tool with Big Plans
Once installed, the truth is that Malwarebytes Anti-Ransomware doesn't offer much in the way of interface or advanced configuration. It only adds an icon to the system tray, and it can work alongside other antivirus solutions. The program has been in beta for just over two months, and Malwarebytes confirmed that it will not be a standalone product, but they hope to turn it into an additional module for their existing offerings.
