When malware strikes, the impact on data can be disastrous and, to make matters worse, there’s no guarantee of getting that valuable information back. Only 39% of users were able to retrieve all the data they lost in a malware attack, according to a 2013 survey conducted by B2B International and Kaspersky Lab – 61% of users lost at least some of their information forever.
One attack in five successfully steals or corrupts confidential data. For 17% of victims, that data was irretrievably lost; 44% could only restore part of their lost information.
And ultimately it’s the data that matters to us: the survey showed that 56% value their information more highly than the computer which stores it. Users are willing to pay for data recovery, with one in 10 hiring outside experts to try to claw back the missing bytes.
However data recovery is often too late: not all data can be restored. For example, a third-party specialist can do nothing if the user’s computer is infected by a so called file encryptor, a malicious program which encrypts the user’s files.
To decrypt these files, a unique key is required. The only way of getting that key is to deal with the criminals, who usually demand a ransom. One of the most dangerous samples of this type of malware is Seftad.
A successful Seftad attack can encrypt not only the user’s photos and video, but also the master boot record (MBR). It completely blocks access to the computer, and can irretrievably destroy all programs on the hard disc.
Is there any way to avoid losing important information to malicious attacks? Of course there are many, including the extreme measure of refusing to store valuable data on digital devices. However, only two are really viable, says Kaspersky Lab – regular back-ups and a reliable protection solution.