Ransomware... Just in case question

Use a 64Gb usb thumb drive, to store and backup your important stuff, and just unplug it when not needed. Lots safer than the "cloud", and no internet access needed. Use more than one if necessary, I think you can get them up to 128G now. I carry mine on my keychain.

Johno02 wrote:
Use a 64Gb usb thumb drive, to store and backup your important stuff, I carry mine on my keychain.

You carry your important stuff on your keychain? :)

Crypto ransomware is sophisticated enough to search all drives you have write access. That includes cloud, such as Dropbox, and network attached drives.

One thing I do is not auto load services such as Dropbox on boot. You still have access to your local Dropbox files, just not allowing it to "auto" sync to stored files in the cloud until I need them. Or, in this case, no suspicious file activity detected. However, if the local Dropbox files did get encrypted by malware, you still have them in tact on their servers.

Dropbox also uses file versioning, so you "may" be able to restore malware encrypted files to an earlier un-encrypted version. Though have not explored the viability of such as of yet.

Setting the partitions to read only should protect your files so long as you are not using an admin account while connected to the Net. Also, if unknown vulnerabilities don't exist. Otherwise, pretty much game over. Which is the mistake most make while connected to the Net. Using an Admin account allowing too many privileges for hackers. Instead, create a separate Net user account(s) with limited write privileges. With no access to backup drives.

to answer the OP.. NO..not safe

if the drive is connected to the PC when the ransomware hits

it WILL find it an encrypt it, just the same as the stuff on the PC internal drive
to PC and the ransomware, its ALL one system, anything the PC can access, the RW can get to

it must be disconnected to be safe
and IF you ever get hit with the RW it must be removed, aka PC cleaned, before you attempt restore
or it will lock up / encrypt the external back up drive

Thanks for all the quick and informative responses.. No sooner that I hit send to post this question, I discovered that I had 3 portable USB hard Drives (30GB, 60GB and 12 GB) that I had totally forgotten about under my workbench. They were used as HD clones for laptops that I had in the past. I will reformat and use one for storing my important files and then put it in a secure area..Thanks again.. This entire RV forum and the contributing members are worth their weight in Gold to me..

I have a backup system called WD Smartware that wirelessly backs up my computer. Is it vulnerable to RW?

Johno02 wrote:
Use a 64Gb usb thumb drive, to store and backup your important stuff, and just unplug it when not needed. Lots safer than the "cloud", and no internet access needed. Use more than one if necessary, I think you can get them up to 128G now. I carry mine on my keychain.

USB Thumb drives are really not all that great for "backup" purposes.

USB thumb drives have a "habit" of going bad and needing reformated..

I know a few people who have had a thumb drive drop dead, I myself have recently had one die.

I only use thumb drives as a lightweight means to "transport" files since that happened.

Hard to beat the reliability of a spinning disk so I now depend only on a external USB HARD DRIVE (spinning platter) as means of backup. I backup the files then remove the UBS drive from the PC.

Not all a fan of SSD drives either, seen a few of those drop dead..

The bad guys can't touch that USB HD as long as it in not plugged in at the time of infection.. You just need to remember not to connect the drive until you have the infection removed.

I guess not all thumb drives are alike. I have two that I have been using since 2005 for file storage and back-ups. Of course maybe they will die tomorrow. I'll take my chances. It is my understanding (I'm no computer geek), that any storage device can go bad.

3oaks wrote:
I guess not all thumb drives are alike. I have two that I have been using since 2005 for file storage and back-ups. Of course maybe they will die tomorrow. I'll take my chances. It is my understanding (I'm no computer geek), that any storage device can go bad.

yep, I don't remember one ever going bad. I do save stuff on two of them (duplicate) however.
bumpy

Rule of thumb is to have three copies of your data. One live copy, cloud copy and a 3rd disconnected backup drive. House burns cloud saves ya, malware worst case disconnected drive saves you. Kaspersky has come out with some anti cryptor features in its newest release which backs up the data just before it encrypts it giving you the ability to save the data. Have not tested it though. Everything else's said is pretty much spot on.