As a follow-up to my earlier post about ransomware and making sure you have an unattached backup of your data files, that your PC is up-to-date (OS and programs), and running up-to-date antivirus and the firewall is enabled, there are a few more things you might consider doing to avoid becoming a victim of the emerging malware. Details can be found here, but here’s a summary (be sure to read the complete post on The Hacker News.
1. Always Install Security Updates
2. Patch SMB Vulnerability (If you’re on Win10 version 1703, you’re already good)
3. Disable SMB (even if you’re patched, disable it, just in case there’s an exploit)
4. Enable Firewall & Block SMB Ports (if you really need SMB and don’t apply item 3)
5. Use an Antivirus Program (make sure it’s up to date)
6. Be suspicious of emails, websites, and apps (any of them, even from “trusted” sources could be bad)
7. Backup (and then again, when you add/modify data files, photos, documents, etc)
8. Keep yourself up-to-date with security issues and tech news