👍 #868 – When Backups Might Not Save You from Ransomware

This week’s articles & videos

You can’t go a day without hearing about another ransomware attack, it seems. There’s good news and bad news about that.

Ransomware does seem to be focusing on bigger targets these days. Larger organizations seem to be getting hit more often than the average user. It’s still a threat for all of us, don’t get me wrong, but folks in the business world seem to be at higher risk.

And the threat is changing. Ransomware — which as I’ve said repeatedly, is just another form of malware — is starting to hold more than data for ransom. In fact, it’s starting to act a little like old school viruses by also stealing data, not just encrypting it. Backups can help recover from the encryption. The theft? Not so much.

When Backups Might Not Save You from Ransomware has the details.

Also this week:

• When to use and not use the report Spam button.
• Breathing new life into old machines.
• Files that come back from the dead; how deleted files can sometimes come back.

TEH Podcast

No podcast this week, Gary’s on the road. We’re not sure about next week either. It’s a busy summer.

Speaking of, I hope your summer (or winter, down under) is going well!

Take care,

This Week’s Featured Article

When Backups Might Not Save You from Ransomware
Some ransomware goes beyond encryption.

Ransomware is known for encrypting your data and holding it hostage. It turns out that it can do more that backups won’t protect against.

https://askleo.com/134173

Also This Week on Ask Leo!

Why Shouldn’t I Use the “Report Spam” or “Junk” Button? Unintended consequences.
The “Report Spam” and “Junk” buttons serve an important function in the war against spam. However, used improperly they can do more harm than good. https://askleo.com/2497

What’s the Best Upgrade for an Older Machine? You can breathe new life into an old machine.
Upgrading a computer can be a lot of work, is going to cost some money, and depends on your needs. I’ll show you where to start. https://askleo.com/6728

How Were Files Recovered that I Thought Were Deleted? Gone, but not forgotten.
Files may be gone, but frequently are not forgotten. Depending on the scenario, files you thought were deleted might be easily recovered. https://askleo.com/3661

Restoring an Image Backup from One Computer to Another What your backup is and isn’t for.
The concept seems simple: take a system image of one machine, restore it to another, and avoid lengthy setup time. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. https://askleo.com/4751

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Restoring an Image Backup from One Computer to Another The concept seems simple: take a system image of one machine, restore it to another, and avoid lengthy setup time. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. https://youtu.be/g3U8qqhFxAs

How Were Files Recovered that I Thought Were Deleted? Files may be gone, but frequently are not forgotten. Depending on the scenario, files you thought were deleted might be easily recovered. https://youtu.be/POc4Xdhqz7E

What’s the Best Upgrade for an Older Machine? Upgrading an older machine can be a lot of work, is going to cost some money, and depends on your needs. I’ll show you where to start. https://youtu.be/tO2K1O6G-rs

When Backups Might Not Save You from Ransomware Ransomware is known for encrypting your data and holding it hostage. It turns out that backups might not save you from everything ransomware can do. https://youtu.be/iUUv_ZLKCdk

Why Shouldn’t I Use the “Report Spam” or “Junk” Button? The “Report Spam” and “Junk” button serve an important function in the war against spam. However, we shouldn’t use it improperly as it could do more harm than good. https://youtu.be/d6vIxgV4_iY

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