by Dave Moore, 01/10/2021
The only way to ransomware-proof and crash-proof your computer files is to have good, protected backups of those files. This applies to every type of computer: desktop, laptop, tablet, phone, etc. Anything on that device that can’t be replaced needs to be backed up.
First off, what is a “file,” anyway? A file is information stored in digital form, which, to computers, is zeroes and ones (0 and 1). That information can be the letter you were typing to a friend, the photograph you took of the snow, or the spreadsheet you use to track finances. The computer takes that information, converts it to a digital form, and stores those digits on a storage device like a hard drive.
What does it mean to “backup” a file? A backup is a copy of a file that is kept somewhere other than where the original file is located. You simply copy a file, and place that copy somewhere else. If your file is in a computer, you store the file on some other device for safe keeping, like a flash drive or external hard drive. Files can can also be backed up online, using an Internet-based file storage or backup service.
Copies of files stored on the same device are not considered safe backups, because, if the device crashes, it can take out your copies, as well as the original files. Safe backups are always located somewhere other than where the original files are stored, which leads us to the point of this column: how to “ransomware-proof” your files.
As discussed last week, one of the biggest Internet crimes is “ransomware.” I personally know many people and businesses in this town who have been devastated by ransomware. Crooks trick people into clicking the wrong thing, which installs a virus, which kidnaps and holds the victims important files hostage by encrypting them into encoded gibberish that cannot be read or otherwise used. The crooks promise to “decode” the files if the victim pays a “ransom” to free their kidnapped files; hence, the term “ransomware.” It’s a very bad situation.
The best defense against ransomware is safe and secure backups of your files. Traditional backup schemes won’t work, though, because the ransomware will encrypt the backed up files, as well, making your backups useless. Safe and secure backup schemes use combinations of “data isolation,” “air gap” and “immutable” technologies designed to make your files untouchable by ransomware.
OK, I know all this is getting pretty technical. Computers and the Internet are, after all, incredibly complex and “technical” technologies. Hey, it’s “technical” for me, and I do this for a living. It’s important, though, if you are going to use these technologies, to have at least a basic understanding of how these things works, so you can stay out of trouble. I see my job as taking ridiculously complicated mountains of information and turning them into knowledge you can actually use and benefit from.
Using data isolation, air gap and immutable backup methods means that your backup files are isolated from external networks and the Internet. “Air gap” is a term going back many years, having its roots in classified systems run by government/military agencies with a high need for secrecy. There is literally a “gap of air” between the protected information and the outside world. It is physically disconnected, meaning there are no cords, cables or WiFi networks connecting it to anywhere else. “Immutable” backup files are files that cannot be deleted, moved or changed without employing special access and recovery methods.
This leaves most of us, individuals and businesses small and large, in a very awkward position. The backup methods we have used for years simply won’t cut it, anymore. The old 3-2-1 backup rule (one copy on your computer, one copy on an external drive, one copy off-site, i.e., in the cloud) still holds, but needs an overhaul. Unless you have (or, like me, are) an IT department able to setup, monitor and maintain a safe, secure and ongoing backup plan, it’s time to hire an outside, paid service to protect your files.
Next week, in Part Three, we’ll look at backup services for individuals and businesses from IBM, CommVault, Dell, Acronis, Backblaze, Carbonite and Mozy.
Dave Moore has been fixing computers in Oklahoma since 1984. Founder of the non-profit Internet Safety Group Ltd., he also teaches Internet safety community training workshops. He can be reached at 405-919-9901 or www.internetsafetygroup.com