It’s time for the latest installment of our series that aims to bulldoze commonly held misconceptions about cloud backup. So far during this series, we’ve talked quite a bit about the key differences between cloud storage and cloud backup. This week, we’re covering the most important difference of all: The fact that cloud storage does not protect your data from ransomware while cloud backup most certainly does. Let’s take a closer look.
Myth: Cloud storage protects me from ransomware
Fact: Plenty of people think their files are safe from viruses because they’ve uploaded them to a cloud storage service like Dropbox, Google or iCloud. But this is far from the case.
Due to its deceptive nature, a ransomware virus can infect your entire system before you can detect it. If you happen to be using a cloud storage service, you can inadvertently upload a corrupt file. And, because most cloud storage services don’t save prior versions, there’s no way to revert to a clean version of your file.
The best weapon against ransomware and other viruses is cloud backup, like Carbonite. It’s specifically engineered to help you recover files quickly, and it can definitely help you avoid paying a ransom if you’re ever attacked. One of the many features you get with Carbonite is file versioning. This allows you to recover a clean version of your files from a point in time before your system became infected. We’ve helped many of our customers avoid having to pay criminals hundreds of dollars to get their files back.
The fact is, ransomware is becoming more and more common these days. The bad guys even sell software that anyone can use to launch their own ransomware virus. A high-quality cloud backup solution like Carbonite can help, but you need to have it installed before you’re attacked.
