How to Protect Your Data and Not Be Held Hostage by Computers (1)

Earlier this month, an attack by hackers on a hospital in Germany resulted in what’s being called the first-ever reported human death indirectly caused by a ransomware attack.

Staff at the University Hospital of Düsseldorf were unable to access data, forcing patients to other facilities. A woman in need of immediate care was rerouted to a hospital 20 miles away, where she died.

Even more distressing, it appears that the ransomware damage was inadvertent. A note left on a server was intended for the affiliated Heinrich Heine University—not the hospital. Hackers eventually provided a decryption key. ...