Ransomware Removal and Recovery – Minneapolis St Paul, MN

Any business computer or network is potentially vulnerable to many types of malware, including ransomware, which may lock up your computer and encrypt your data, making them unavailable to you. Even if you follow the ransomware prevention guidelines, you could still be attacked by new types of exploits. As a leader in business IT services in the Minneapolis St. Paul Metro area, we understand what a shock it is to experience one of these attacks. Ransomware, which is really an extortion crime designed to force you to pay to get your computer and data back, is becoming more and more common in the United States and around the world. We want to give you some guidelines about what you should do if such an attack strikes you.

You’ll know you’ve been attacked right away. A screen like the one below will suddenly appear on your monitor and you won’t be able to use your computer. These announcements vary in appearance, but all are similar in content and are truly frightening when you encounter them:

Remove Ransomware and Minimize Its Damage

Once you get over the immediate shock of being confronted by a screen like this, take a deep breath and you can get started on recovering from the attack. It may take some time, and you will probably have to call in a computer security expert like the technicians at our IT services company in Minneapolis St. Paul, but all is not lost, if you have taken some precautions in advance. We can help.

• Don’t Click Anything on the Notification Screen – That could make matters worse, and won’t fix the problem. The people who are attacking you don’t want to help you. They want your money. They’re criminals. If the ransomware that has infected your system is typical, the damage has already been done.
• Disconnect the Computer from The Network – If you are connected to an ethernet network, unplug the ethernet cable. This may prevent the ransomware software from attacking other computers on the network or the server. If you are connected via a WiFi connection, you may have to shut down the WiFi router to disconnect.
• Don’t Pull the Plug to Power Down Immediately – Look at the hard drive light on your PC. If it shows that the hard drive is running constantly, file encryption may be going on. In that case, it’s best to pull the plug and shut down. If not, you can safely leave the computer running. It may not restart properly, and you may need information from the screen display. Either way, the attacking software has almost certainly already corrupted files through encryption.
• Don’t Pay the Ransom Demands – Don’t reward these extortionists by paying them. There is no assurance that your data will be restored, and you may get further demands for additional payments. The attackers are criminals. Only in a case where you have no backups of important data should you ever consider paying any ransom.
• Get Expert Technical Help – If your company has an IT Department, contact that department immediately to report the attack. If you’re a sole proprietor or a small business, call a trusted IT services company in the Twin Cities right away. Recovery from a ransomware attack requires expertise and experience. Online solutions that offer to remove ransomware are unlikely to work, and some disreputable companies offer expensive solutions that fail to restore your system. Hands-on intervention by a trusted local IT specialist is your best bet for ransomware removal and recovery.
• Consider Notifying Law Enforcement – Although there’s little your local police department or even the FBI can do to assist you, it’s worthwhile to file a report with local authorities, and your business insurance company may require a police report if you file a claim.

How Our Professional IT Technicians Handle Ransomware Attacks

When we respond to a call about ransomware removal, we start by determining the type of malware that was used. With some ransomware programs, we may be able to remove the program completely from your system, restore your data files from a recent backup, and get you back up and running quickly. In other case, the problem is more complex. Recovering from some ransomware attacks may require a complete restoration of the operating system, software applications and data files before you can resume work. It all depends on the type of malware that’s involved and the extent of the damage it caused.

If you have a complete hard drive image backed up, restoration of your operating system and software is relatively simple to do, although it takes some time. If you have also regularly backed up data files daily our technician will be able to restore your data as it was at the time of the last backup. If you’ve stored copies of works-in-progress on a separate USB drive or in the cloud, we can get you restored back to the last time you saved that data. If you have implemented a good backup strategy, you can be back in business with minimal data loss. If you’re reading this, but haven’t experienced a ransomware attack, we strongly encourage you to call us and have us set up a comprehensive data backup solution for you. In the case of an attack by any type of malware or even another type of system failure, a proper backup process will minimize the damage.

If you don’t have recent backups of everything available, all is still not lost. We can help you reinstall your operating system and software, and restore whatever backed up date you have available. For network installations, we will scan and inspect the network and assess whether the malware has spread beyond the individual PC and take corrective action if that is the case.

Comprehensive Data Security Technical Support for the Entire Twin Cities Metro Area

The risks of malicious software, from viruses, malware and even ransomware extortion attacks are growing every year. Every company, large and small, in the seven-county Minneapolis St. Paul area is at risk. That’s why our trusted IT services company offers complete services to protect our clients from such attacks and to help them recover if a new malicious software attack cripples their productivity. From installation and configuration of enterprise-grade anti-virus and anti-malware software to planning and configuring bullet-proof automated data backup programs, we make data security and protection a top priority. The affordable cost of our services is your best assurance of protection and fast restoration of your system, no matter what happens. Call us today to discuss your data integrity, security and protection against malicious attacks on your systems. Let us show you how we can safeguard your files and your business at competitive prices.