Rarely a day goes by without headlines of a new major ransomware infection.
What is Ransomware? Ransomware is malware that may lock your keyboard, computer, or data, to prevent you from accessing your files until you pay a ransom. Usually the ransom is demanded in the form of the digital currency, Bitcoin. This type of digital extortion isn't new - it's been around at least a decade, and over the years attackers have greatly refined the methods in which ransomware infects a computer and encrypts files using a private key that only the attacker possesses, instead of simply locking your keyboard or computer.
Now, more than ever, it is important to have an anti-malware (anti-virus) security product installed not only on your Metron computer, but all computers in your practice, in order to keep your data safe.
Windows 7 and newer does offer limited malware protection "Windows Defender", but in today's world of ever-evolving malware variants, best practice is to install a standalone anti-malware product, with real-time protection, to prevent ransomware/malware infections.
We highly recommend having a paid anti-malware product with real-time protection installed (ESET, AVG, Avast, Symantec, Panda, to name a few.) on all computers at your practice to prevent ransomware & malware infections. If you do not currently have one installed, we advise contacting your local I.T. provider for recommendations on purchasing and installing an anti-malware software product that is a good fit for your practice.
Most of the time, anti-malware software does not interfere with Metron and no additional steps are required after installation. However, sometimes, anti-malware software may cause issues with Metron, or your other programs, requiring an "exception" or "exclusion" to be made so that the anti-malware software "ignores" applications that are legitimately installed on your computer.
If you do experience any issues with Metron after having installed an anti-malware product, please do not hesitate to give us a call as we would be glad to assist in making the proper exceptions/exclusions for your anti-malware product to allow Metron to operate smoothly.
