If not us, then who

Cryptographic ransomware that blocks access to important files and demands ransom has recently grown into an urgent problem. That is why Kaspersky Lab pays close attention to encryptors, and our experts work hard to develop specific tools to counter this threat.

Extortionists are particularly harmful to SMBs, which seldom can implement serious defenses against cyberthreats. According to an IT Security Risks 2016 survey, over the last year more than 42% of small and medium-size companies were attacked by ransomware. A third of these enterprises had to pay the ransom, and about 18% of the companies failed to restore their lost data even after paying the ransom. At the same time, according to Kaspersky Security Network, the number of corporate users attacked by cryptors has increased almost sixfold — from 27,000 in 2014–2015 to 158,600 in 2015–2016.

Ransomware keeps gaining in popularity among cybercriminals primarily because of its efficiency — even one infected corporate computer can bring in a substantial profit. The problem for victims is compounded by the fact that even after the infected computer has been cleaned, the victim may still face encrypted files that they can’t restore. Moreover, many security solutions are powerless against attacks from the most recent versions of ransomware.

Beating #ransomware: If not us, then who

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Our security solutions effectively fight ransomware by neutralizing encrypting Trojans before they can do any harm. However, after we made sure that our customers were protected, we decided to go further: We released a special free Kaspersky Anti-Ransomware Tool for Business, which can protect users of other security solutions. The tool is as intolerant of any type of ransomware as it is friendly to the security solutions of other vendors. That is, if you launch it on a computer with another antivirus installed, the applications won’t interfere with one another.

You may reasonably ask why we decided to help our competitors. Well, to begin with, we believe that dealing with the problem of encryptors requires united forces. Good against evil, if you like. And the development of an application complementing the functionality of alternative solutions is not our first move in this direction. We recently launched the No More Ransom initiative together with the police of the Netherlands, Europol, and Intel Security to increase awareness of the problem and assist the victims of extortionists. As well, we have an interest in protecting all users from cyberthreats because anyone paying ransom further funds the creation of new malware.

 Our tool is as intolerant of any type of #ransomware as it is friendly to the security solutions of other vendors.

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Kaspersky Anti-Ransomware Tool for Business is a “light” solution that can function in parallel with other antivirus software. The tool uses two components needed for the early detection of Trojans: the distributed Kaspersky Security Network and System Watcher, which monitors applications’ activity.

Kaspersky Security Network quickly checks the reputation of files and website URLs through the cloud, and System Watcher monitors the behavior of programs and provides proactive protection from yet-unknown versions of Trojans. But most important, our tool can back up files opened by suspicious applications and roll back the changes if the actions taken by programs prove malicious. You can read more here on the principles of this technology.

You should understand that this free tool can’t replace full-featured products such as Kaspersky Endpoint Security for Business or Kaspersky Small Office Security. However, it can serve as an additional security layer together with other security solution and strengthen the defenses of a corporate information infrastructure. Download the application here.