It can generally go without saying that no business wants to lose their data and access to their systems for any reason, whether it is a power outage or a ransomware attack. However, some situations can have much more dire consequences than others, and it is important to know what these consequences could entail. When a company knows what is at stake when ransomware takes over, there’s a better chance that the company will take all the measures necessary to ensure that ransomware attacks are as unlikely as possible. Ransomware is one of the most financially devastating viruses out there. Not only do they lock a system behind a “ransom” that needs to be paid off, but there is no guarantee that paying the money will even restore the system.
1. It Can Be Time-Consuming
Depending on the size of the business, any amount of downtime can mean hundreds or even thousands in lost profits, and this will only increase by the minute. When ransomware takes over a computer, it can be a fair amount of time before anything can be unlocked again. Of course, many things depend on the severity of the ransomware, but it can take time to find the money (often in Bitcoin) required to pay off the “ransom,” and then it can take time for the ransomware creators to get back to the business with the decryption key, if they give it back at all. If the decryption key isn’t given, then it can take a considerable amount of time to fix the system, and all throughout this time, money is being lost. No business wants this to happen.
2. It Can Cost a Lot of Money
There is virtually no limit to what ransomware could demand from people who are infected by the virus. Some people who are under a ransomware attack might only have to pay a couple hundred dollars worth of bitcoin. While this is not optimal, it is far better than the thousands that some ransomware programs demand. Depending on the type of program a business is infected with, it can cost a considerable amount of money to pay for each system to be decrypted separately. Some ransomware programs will even charge double the money after some time has passed. For some smaller businesses, this might not be money that the business has in the first place. When a ransomware attack occurs, speak to a ransomware removal expert right away.
3. It Can Cost a Lot of Data
One of the even more troubling aspects of ransomware, besides the money being lost, is the threat that all of the data on a computer can be lost. This includes sensitive information about a business, financial records, and documents that a business cannot afford to lose. If the “ransom” isn’t paid off within a set amount of time, more often than not, the ransomware will either lock itself down or delete everything on the computer. If this happened to a business computer, that is a considerable amount of lost data, financial loss, and history in the business gone. While it might not be an easy choice to make, sometimes paying off the “ransom” is better than the threat of losing all data.
4. It Can Halt Business
Last, but most certainly not least, ransomware can cause businesses to come to a complete halt. This is because ransomware generally makes the rest of a computer unusable. If a computer cannot be used to help further business by processing orders, working with return requests, and so on, then what work is done at all? The truth is that often, no work gets done under ransomware, and this is something that many businesses cannot afford to have happen.
