Kaspersky Lab offers free anti-ransomware tool for Windows

debo_2006

10 years ago

last modified: 10 years ago

For the techie pros, what do you think? Worth downloading? There doesn't appear to be anything to lose by doing do - pun intended, but I'm just reading all about it now. I already use a paid version of K's Internet Security (and I like it a lot).

https://go.kaspersky.com/Anti-ransomware-tool.html

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dchall_san_antonio

10 years ago

Even though it's free, I'd want to know more about how it works first.

My office was hit the same weekend as the California hospital, but because we are backed up nightly to a remote location, we were running the next day. Also I think it helps that we run off of virtual servers, so there's no cross connection among any of our servers.

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Comments (8)

Elmer J Fudd
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
I'm not a pro, just a user who tries to be informed and thoughtful about PCs and practices.

Kaspersky's products are well regarded. If you want to take advantage of what they do, buy their antivirus/security software. I think the likelihood of any one person having a ransom-type incident is so very, very low that any attention to it isn't warranted.

I suspect this effort is a marketing effort on Kaspersky's part rather than an altruistic desire to save the world from Ukrainian mobsters. Nothing wrong with that, they're a business after all, but I don't think it's necessary.
debo_2006 thanked Elmer J Fudd
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azinoh
10 years ago
I have a 2008 Dell w/Vista that until yesterday was running free Avast (which I've been satisfied with). However, their recent update coughed up a hairball which they haven't fixed yet. So, my thought was to do a free trial of a paid version until they get their act together. My first choice was Kaspersky...and what a horror it was. Much too heavy-handed, wanted too much control over almost everything. My browsers were affected and also Libre Office...although I don't know why. Now Kaspersky is gone, and I'm doing a free trial of F-Prot...which is so far behaving quite nicely. I will go back to Avast when it gets fixed.
debo_2006 thanked azinoh
debo_2006
Original Author
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
Elmer....I already run the paid Kapersky's Internet Security and have for the past 3.5 years. It really is the best anti virus software I've ever had and I've used many, free and paid. But, I like you, I thought upon further reading that their offer it is a marketing effort and I'll wait to see what kind of feedback the free software gets over time.
zep516
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
RANSOMWARE IS ONE OF THE WORLD’S FASTEST GROWING TYPES OF MALWARE

Unfortunately that's true above.

There are 2 other prevention tools out there also.
cryptoprevent and,
Malwarebytes Anti-Ransomware
I use cryptoprevent free. Not the best, but I know what I'm doing and I only use the computer no one else plays with it.

How cryptoprevent works:
Cryptoprevent puts a group policy restriction on theses files below. The files targeted by ransomware, thus protecting them. I'd would guess that's how others work or similar. This is a small sample from my computer

HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: *.doc.exe
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: *:\$Recycle.Bin\*\*\*\*.exe
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: *.rar.exe
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: *.divx.com
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: *.wmv.exe
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: *.jpg.pif
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: %userprofile%\AppData\LocalLow\*.scr
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: *.txt.exe
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: *.png.pif
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: *.jpg.scr
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: *.zip.com
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: *.png.exe
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: *.png.scr
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: %userprofile%\*.scr
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: *.wav.pif
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: *.rtf.exe
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: *.gif.scr
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: *.7z.pif
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: *.doc.pif
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: *:\$Recycle.Bin\*\*\*\*.pif
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: *.rar.com
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: *.wmv.com
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: *.xlsx.exe
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: *:\$Recycle.Bin\*\*.exe
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: *.gif.pif
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: %userprofile%\AppData\LocalLow\*\*.scr
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: *.pptx.exe
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: *.xls.scr
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: %programdata%\*.scr
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: *.rar.scr
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: *.xls.pif
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: *.pub.scr
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: %userprofile%\AppData\LocalLow\*.exe
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: %programdata%\*.exe
HKLM Group Policy restriction on software: *.divx.pif

100 more lines

I see the infections frequently here's one from the other day.

http://www.geekstogo.com/forum/topic/364174-ransomware/

The Malware is easily removed, however there is currently no fix for the encrypted files. So backing up personal files is more important then ever or having an image back up of the drive.

I'd consider installing one of them and probably Kaspersky.

All in all it comes down to having a good Anti Virus, safe browsing habits, don't open E-Mail attachments etc etc.
debo_2006 thanked zep516
Elmer J Fudd
10 years ago
zep516, are you saying that competent antivirus/security software alone won't prevent intrusions of this type?
zep516
10 years ago
Not to my knowledge,

"As with other forms of malware, security software might not detect a ransomware payload, or, especially in the case of encrypting payloads, only after encryption is under way or complete, particularly if a new version unknown to the protective software is distributed. If an attack is suspected or detected in its early stages, it takes some time for encryption to take place; immediate removal of the malware (a relatively simple process) before it has completed would stop further damage to data, without salvaging any already lost. Security experts have suggested precautionary measures for dealing with ransomware. Using software or other security policies to block known payloads from launching will help to prevent infection, but will not protect against all attacks. Keeping "offline" backups of data stored in locations inaccessible to the infected computer, such as external storage drives, prevents them from being accessed by the ransomware, thus accelerating data restoration."
Elmer J Fudd
10 years ago
Sorry, is that a yes or a no?

What are you quoting from?

Kaspersky Lab offers free anti-ransomware tool for Windows

dchall_san_antonio

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Elmer J Fudd

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Kaspersky Lab offers free anti-ransomware tool for Windows

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