How Bitdefender Protects You from Ransomware (Part 1)

An introspection into the threat landscape of 2020 puts ransomware on the map, as threat actors used the COVID-19 crisis to ensnare home users and businesses across the globe.

The work-from-home environment has been under siege as the world struggled to adapt to what we now call the ‘new normal.’ Home networks and devices have become the most effective means to spread ransomware, allowing cybercriminals to compromise and steal sensitive data.

The risks may expand even further, endangering an employer’s network, since some employees take cybersecurity shortcuts and use their work-issued devices for personal use.

While attacks against financial and education institutions made headlines, ransomware operators don’t discriminate when choosing their victims or operating systems. Infection happens in a matter of seconds, possibly as a result of accessing a malicious link, document, or even drive-by download, taking advantage of an unpatched vulnerability found in a browser, app or operating system.

Bitdefender’s anti-ransomware counters ransomware attacks, warding off any threats attempting to bypass security measures to compromise and steal your sensitive data.

Bitdefender Shield is the real-time protection feature specifically designed to provide continuous monitoring and protection against malware threats, including ransomware, by scanning files or e-mail messages you access on your device.

The multi-layered defense system against ransomware is strengthened by the Online Threat Prevention that analyzes the HTTP and HTTPS traffic, blocking any websites that try to conceal credit card phishing, scams, fraud attempts, malware or even ransomware served for download. Real-time online threat prevention extends to popular browsing software, including Google Chrome, Safari and Mozilla Firefox, alerting you each time a suspicious or malicious website is accessed.

An additional anti-ransomware layer, known as Network Threat Prevention, is responsible for blocking an attack before it even begins by preventing the exploitation of vulnerabilities in your system. The network-based adaptive layer detects and stops brute-forcing attempts, preventing your device from being compromised in botnet attacks or losing sensitive information sent in an unencrypted form. Botnets often scan the web for systems with exposed ports, trying to remotely dial into them and plant malicious payloads, such as ransomware or Trojans. Network Threat Prevention can block these attempts and prevent any attacker or malware from compromising your system.

As consumers and businesses become more digitally bound than ever, it is not a matter of “if” but “when” your devices and networks will come under attack by cybercriminals. The skillfulness and capability of ransomware to spread across most operating systems call for more than just basic cybersecurity know-how.

Bitdefender anti-ransomware technologies are embedded with the sole purpose of protecting against such attacks with cross-platform efficiency so your data and financial well-being remain safe.

The multi-layer ransomware protection and features available in Bitdefender products allow smooth sailing on all of your digital endeavors.