Ransomware headlines focus on interrupted hospital services or downtime at major companies. But ransomware can just as easily infect your home computer.

You may think the bad guys wouldn’t care about your residential system, but you’d be wrong, especially now. Think of all the people at home connecting remotely to business networks. Plus, kids are a weak cyber protection link as they don’t fully understand the risks.

When you’re a victim of ransomware, you can’t do anything on your computer. Cybercriminals encrypt your files and demand you pay a ransom to unlock your device. They’ll often ask for cryptocurrency in return for the encryption key.

How to prevent home ransomware

Ransomware in residential homes may not grab headlines, but it’s still going to be big news at your house. Any computers connected to the home network with the ability to save to one another could be infected.

Malware may infect your devices, and you might not even know it. You need a cybersecurity solution for your home that looks where you can’t. Strong antivirus software uses machine learning that supports anti-ransomware. This artificial intelligence (AI) reviews a database of known threats before running new files on your computer, detecting and blocking any malware before it runs. We recommend business-grade VIPRE Managed Antivirus for the best protection.

You’ll also need to have a good backup plan. Don’t risk losing access to your precious family photos and important documents. Instead, follow the best practices of backup and use a 3-2-1 backup strategy. This means having 3 copies of your data. Two of these should be located on different devices like your computer and a portable backup drive. The other backup copy should be secured offsite in the cloud. Making frequent backups and keeping them separate from your network can help preserve your data in the event of a malware attack. Could your backups survive a ransomware attack?

For home cloud backup, we like iDrive. You can set this program to run automatically, so your off-site backup is always protected. We also offer business-grade managed backup that is monitored by Hopedale Technologies.

Always be on the lookout

Phishing is the top way ransomware infiltrates a computer. Cybercriminals mimic reputable companies and create emails that look like they are coming from a trusted website. Unsuspecting recipients open the familiar-looking message and click on their fraudulent links.

Caution everyone, especially kids, against clicking on links or downloading attachments, especially if the email makes an urgent or emotional appeal.

You can also stay safe by being careful of what websites you visit. One type of ransomware gets you to download and install the software, while another installs it without you knowing when you visit an infected site. When online, look for the lock icon before the domain name, indicating encrypted Web traffic. And avoid clicking on any download links on the sites you visit. Need more ideas to stay safe online? Check out 7 Tips for Better Cybersecurity.