{"id":15135,"date":"2019-11-18T19:47:07","date_gmt":"2019-11-18T15:47:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/anti-ransomware-all-in-one\/15135\/"},"modified":"2019-11-26T15:12:26","modified_gmt":"2019-11-26T11:12:26","slug":"anti-ransomware-all-in-one","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/anti-ransomware-all-in-one\/15135\/","title":{"rendered":"Free ransomware protection and decryption tools"},"content":{"rendered":"<ul>\n<li><a href=\"#what-is-ransomware\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">What is ransomware?<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#never-pay-ransom\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Why it\u2019s a bad idea to pay the ransom<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#could-you-dodge-ransomware\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Can you dodge a ransomware attack? Test yourself<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#free-ransomware-protection\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Download links to free ransomware protection<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#free-ransomware-decryptors\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Links to free ransomware decryption tools<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Ransomware never seems to go out of style, and lately we\u2019ve seen a lot of requests to help people in their fight against it. That\u2019s why we\u2019ve assembled this post with everything you need to know about how to protect yourself from ransomware, how to mitigate any damage it\u2019s already done, and the options you have to do so.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"what-is-ransomware\">What is ransomware?<\/h2>\n<p>But first, let\u2019s talk about basics. Ransomware is malicious software that uses a variety of methods to get onto devices, then encrypts some or all of the files they contain and demands a payment to restore access to your valuable data.<\/p>\n<p>The software can infect your computer if you, say, plug an unfamiliar USB stick into your computer, visit a malicious site, or download and run a malicious file from the Web or an e-mail attachment. Even being on the same network as an infected computer, and doing nothing wrong, may be enough to get infected with ransomware. One type even looks like a Windows update.<\/p>\n<p>The ransom request specifies payment in bitcoin (or another cryptocurrency), which makes it very difficult or even impossible to trace the payment.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"never-pay-ransom\">Should I pay the ransom?<\/h3>\n<p>The malefactors say they will return your files if you pay them ransom. But in reality, your ransom payment is no guarantee of a safe return for your files. According <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/no-no-ransom\/13364\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">to our research<\/a>, 20% of ransomware victims who paid did not get their files back.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, here\u2019s an example: After the Kansas Heart Hospital paid a ransom, the criminals behind the ransomware attack on the facility decrypted some of the files and then <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/why-you-dont-pay-ransomware\/12214\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">demanded still more money<\/a> for the rest of the files.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/media.kasperskydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/11\/18194801\/dont-pay-ransom-IG-EN.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-15138\" src=\"https:\/\/media.kasperskydaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/2019\/11\/18194801\/dont-pay-ransom-IG-EN.jpg\" alt=\"Never pay the ransom: 20% of people who paid never got their files back\" width=\"1460\" height=\"958\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The average demand is about $300. Factoring in the odds of the payment ending up well for you, we advise careful consideration rather than a hasty payment.<\/p>\n<h3 id=\"could-you-dodge-ransomware\">If I get hit, will I be OK?<\/h3>\n<p>Are you prepared to face the threat? Take our quiz for a reality check:<\/p>\n<div data-opinionstage-embed-url=\"https:\/\/www.opinionstage.com\/api\/v1\/widgets\/kasperskysm\/are-you-ready-for-a-ransomware-attack\/code.json?width=\" style=\"display: none; visibility: hidden;\"><\/div>\n<h3 id=\"free-ransomware-protection\">How can I protect? Free ransomware protection<\/h3>\n<p>Ransomware recovery is a mixed bag, and avoiding infection is the best path in every way. Do not download suspicious files, click suspicious links, or open e-mail attachments that are unexpected or from unknown senders.<\/p>\n<p>Back up your files frequently as well. That way, even if ransomware locks or blocks your files, you can recover them without paying a ransom. Our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/how-to-backup\/19589\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">backup primer<\/a> explains how.<\/p>\n<p>Use a reliable security solution. The free <a href=\"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/free-cloud-antivirus?icid=me-en_kdailyplacehold_acq_ona_smm__onl_b2c_kasperskydaily_wpplaceholder_______\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kaspersky Free<\/a> protects personal devices not only from ransomware, but from a huge range of other threats, and <a href=\"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/kaspersky-anti-ransomware-tool-for-business\/?utm_source=kdaily&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=me-en_KB_nv0092&amp;utm_content=link&amp;utm_term=me-en_kdaily_organic_1drobvqxak929hs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Kaspersky Anti-Ransomware Tool for Business<\/a>, which is also free, can be installed alongside other security solutions and does not conflict with them.<\/p>\n<input type=\"hidden\" class=\"category_for_banner\" value=\"ksc-trial-generic\">\n<h3 id=\"free-ransomware-decryptors\">My device is infected with ransomware, how do I clean it? Free ransomware decryption tools<\/h3>\n<p>Visit <a href=\"http:\/\/NoMoreRansom.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer nofollow\">NoMoreRansom.org<\/a>, which hosts free ransomware decryption utilities and is updated all the time. If an appropriate tool is available on the site, use it. Regardless, we do not recommend paying the ransom; if possible, wait and see if researchers are able to create a new tool for this particular strain of ransomware.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How to stay safe from ransomware with free protection against cryptors and free decryption tools.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":706,"featured_media":15136,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1486,9],"tags":[1239,726,1762,1214,192,433],"class_list":{"0":"post-15135","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-threats","8":"category-tips","9":"tag-decryptors","10":"tag-free","11":"tag-kaspersky-security-cloud","12":"tag-nomoreransom","13":"tag-protection","14":"tag-ransomware"},"hreflang":[{"hreflang":"en-ae","url":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/anti-ransomware-all-in-one\/15135\/"},{"hreflang":"en-in","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.in\/blog\/anti-ransomware-all-in-one\/16914\/"},{"hreflang":"en-us","url":"https:\/\/usa.kaspersky.com\/blog\/anti-ransomware-all-in-one\/19928\/"},{"hreflang":"en-gb","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.uk\/blog\/anti-ransomware-all-in-one\/16928\/"},{"hreflang":"es-mx","url":"https:\/\/latam.kaspersky.com\/blog\/anti-ransomware-all-in-one\/15711\/"},{"hreflang":"es","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.es\/blog\/anti-ransomware-all-in-one\/19652\/"},{"hreflang":"ru","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.ru\/blog\/anti-ransomware-all-in-one\/24011\/"},{"hreflang":"tr","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com.tr\/blog\/anti-ransomware-all-in-one\/6592\/"},{"hreflang":"x-default","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/anti-ransomware-all-in-one\/31324\/"},{"hreflang":"fr","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.fr\/blog\/anti-ransomware-all-in-one-2\/12557\/"},{"hreflang":"pl","url":"https:\/\/plblog.kaspersky.com\/anti-ransomware-all-in-one\/11451\/"},{"hreflang":"de","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.de\/blog\/anti-ransomware-all-in-one\/20569\/"},{"hreflang":"ja","url":"https:\/\/blog.kaspersky.co.jp\/anti-ransomware-all-in-one\/24513\/"},{"hreflang":"nl","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.nl\/blog\/anti-ransomware-all-in-one\/24366\/"},{"hreflang":"ru-kz","url":"https:\/\/blog.kaspersky.kz\/anti-ransomware-all-in-one\/19358\/"},{"hreflang":"en-au","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com.au\/blog\/anti-ransomware-all-in-one\/25548\/"},{"hreflang":"en-za","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.za\/blog\/anti-ransomware-all-in-one\/25390\/"}],"acf":[],"banners":"","maintag":{"url":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/tag\/ransomware\/","name":"ransomware"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15135","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/706"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15135"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15135\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":15170,"href":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15135\/revisions\/15170"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15136"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15135"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15135"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/me-en.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15135"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}