It is hard to manually protect your machine from a sophisticated ransomware attack. Once your device is infected, you tend to lose control of the system, as the ransomware creator can do anything with your device. Most hackers steal your personal data by continuously sending personalized data to a centralized repository until your device(s) is/are completely neutralized.
It is best to have a ransomware protection tool as a precaution to a scrupulous attack; subsequently, you can also use a decryption tool if your data is encrypted.
Ransomware Protection Tools
Let us look at some ransomware protection tools for your system.
1. Bitdefender Antivirus Plus
Bitdefender Antivirus Plus is one of the most renowned ransomware and malware protection tools in the tech community. Bitdefender has an excellent threat detection rate, ranging from identifying all major malware, to providing utmost security for ransomware attacks.
It also comes with browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Edge that block plenty of malicious websites as you browse the internet.
The protection tool offers features like:
- System optimization
- Ransomware protection
- Built-in virtual private network
- Password manager
- Parental controls
- Webcam and microphone protection
- Anti-theft protection for Windows and Android
The excellent system optimization feature makes Bitdefender stand out from the competitors. You won't notice the software running in the background or even when it is scanning your entire system. The built-in VPN is handy for basic web browsing as it caps the data limit to 200MB/day. You can eliminate the data limit by purchasing a separate VPN plan.
The real-time protection feature alerts and prompts you to take corrective actions as soon as ransomware enters the system. Bitdefender isolates the attack, so that your data remains unharmed as you go about choosing your course of action.
Bitdefender is not entirely perfect; it comes with a basic password manager and offers a limited number of passwords, until and unless you upgrade it to the premium version.
2. Kaspersky Antivirus
Kaspersky Antivirus has the best-in-class real-time protection and virus detection engine for all major operating systems, including Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS. The rescue desk feature is a great tool to remove malware from infected files without losing the files. Kaspersky comes with a long list of additional features like:
- Network firewall
- Basic VPN
- System optimization
- Scheduled scan
- Password manager
- Affordable pricing
Kaspersky offers two versions—free and paid versions. The free version offers basic functionality, but you can upgrade to the paid version for better protection.
Additionally, Kaspersky offers five different scan types:
- Quick Scan: The Quick Scan typically lasts around 2-10 minutes on most machines. The quick scan goes through system startup files, system memory files, and boot sectors.
- Full Scan: The Full Scan is the most detailed scan within Kaspersky. It scans every file and folder on your device and lasts for a few hours on a typical day.
- Selective Scan: Selective scan gives you the option to choose files and folders you want to scan. Selective scan saves a lot of time and keeps you from scanning unnecessary files.
- Removable Drive Scan: The Removable Drive Scan is handy when you plug in your USB drive. The scan goes through the USB drive and shows possible threats as soon as the device gets plugged.
- Vulnerability Scan: The Vulnerability Scan goes through the drives and folders most likely to contain malware.
The downsides to Kaspersky include the basic VPN service and password manager. You can only access 200 MB/day using the VPN, and the password manager doesn't come with two-factor authentication.
3. AVG Antivirus
AVG Antivirus has been a popular computer protection tool for more than two decades. The ransomware protection tool is light on your hardware and does most of its work without cracking your system. The deep scans can still be harsh on your computer, primarily if you use older hardware.
AVG comes with a free version and a paid version. As expected, the latter is feature-rich when compared with the former version. The AVG browser extension (available in both versions) scans real-time downloads and emails while blocking malicious websites. AVG uses a similar threat protection engine to Avast, but it comes with significantly fewer ads in the free version, making it a better choice.
The free version is excellent for essential protection, but you should consider the paid version if you want to have features like:
- Network firewall
- Webcam protection
- Secure DNS
- Folder access control to thwart ransomware
Ransomware Decryption Tools
Ransomware decryption tools act as a hand in glove, in case your files are locked during a ransomware attack. These tools eliminate the ransomware attack and safely return your files without paying ransom to the hacker groups.
4. Avast Free Ransomware Decryption Tools
The Avast Free Ransomware Decryption Tools should be your first point of call, in case of a ransomware attack. Every ransomware is different in the way it encrypts your files. This is where a ransomware decryption tool comes into the picture. Such tools offer an extensive database of methods to decrypt encrypted files by each ransomware. Avast contains more than 21 different strains of file-locking ransomware.
Avast also provides a detailed description of each ransomware so that you can identify the ransomware-type and act accordingly. You will then have to download the appropriate tool according to the attack and select the encrypted files you want to decrypt.
5. Kaspersky Anti-Ransomware Tool
The Kaspersky Anti-Ransomware Tool is perfect for small and medium-scale businesses as it comes equipped with tailored functions for a catastrophic ransomware attack. Kaspersky Anti-Ransomware Tool tries to protect your files from ransomware by eliminating the virus as soon as it detects it. The anti-ransomware tool also decrypts your files, in case the virus slips in and encrypts your files.
The malware definitions are constantly updated through Kaspersky's cloud servers. The Kaspersky cloud servers contain all recent virus definitions when detected in any computer connected to the cloud network.
6. Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
Malwarebytes has a really strong defense mechanism against ransomware viruses and malware. The underlying real-time protection is strong enough to warn you about any threats at a supersonic pace. It comes with a variety of tools to tackle ransomware in the premium version which offers top-notch security.
You can upload a series of encrypted files for the decryption tools to tackle. Each of these tools is trained to unjumble the notorious encryptions and return them in a usable form. The deep scanning feature is pretty powerful, but you should scan your computer at least once a week, especially if you work in a vulnerable environment.
Tackle Ransomware Attacks With the Right Tools
Sophisticated ransomware attacks are brutal to tackle manually, and it is best to have a ransomware protection tool installed. The tools mentioned above offer enhanced functionality, rather than just ransomware protection.
On the other hand, these ransomware decryption tools decrypt your files using the decryption methods developed by cracking the ransomware. You must note that decrypting your files is tedious, and ransomware protection should always be your priority.
Having said that, you should try the tools mentioned above to stay safe from ransomware attacks.