CBS News just ran a cautionary segment on the Scattered Spider ransomware group, underscoring just how much damage ransomware can do—so it pays to be prepared. The hackers shut down Las Vegas casinos, causing millions in damage. Your personal computer is less of a target, but why tempt faith?
The best defense against ransomware is avoiding sites and downloads riddled with it, but you can take other protective measures, too. Modern antivirus software often restrict which apps can change files in folders commonly targeted by ransomware. Microsoft Defender, which is built into Windows, can do this too. (Microsoft changed the name from Windows Defender several years ago, but it's the same program.) Some antivirus suites also run automatic backups, in case you need to restore your files.
The catch? Unlike third-party antivirus software, these extra safeguards are not turned on by default in Microsoft Defender. You have to enable them yourself.
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