Ransomware Prevention and Protection

Increasingly sophisticated ransomware and other malware pose a threat to home and business users alike. Synology products come with prevention and recovery solutions that can help protect or restore your data and hardware.

What is ransomware?

Ransomware is malicious software (malware) that encrypts and makes data inaccessible to the victim. The malware then threatens that the attacker will delete, sell or leak victim data if ransom is not paid. Types of ransomware include crypto malware, lockers, scareware, and doxware.

$20 billion

in total global damage is caused by ransomware attacks annually.¹

11 seconds

is the time it takes for another business to be attacked.¹

304 million

ransomware attacks were reported in 2020, a 62% yearly rise.²

How to prevent ransomware attacks

Preventative actions are essential to protect against falling victim to ransomware. Use these Synology solutions in addition to your antivirus software of choice.

Prevent access

Reduce the spread of ransomware by setting file, application, and access permissions, and configure secure login credentials using Secure SignIn and C2 Password.

Protect devices

Outdated systems are at greater risk. Update all your NAS at once with Synology CMS, and safeguard other devices using group policies in Synology Directory Server and C2 Identity.

Avoid suspicious files

Spam and phishing emails containing suspicious files are common methods of spreading ransomware.Synology MailPlus provides strong anti-malware protection and spam prevention.

Check for vulnerabilities

Use Synology Security Advisor to routinely scan for malware, system vulnerabilities, and abnormal login activities. Implement recommended changes to improve your NAS security.

Learn more

How to recover from a ransomware attack

If a ransomware attack is successful, having backups of your data can reduce the damage caused. Your Synology NAS comes with robust backup features to help you continue operations with minimal disruption. Before restoring backups, it is important to make sure your device has been cleaned.

Back up to your NAS

Your Synology NAS is a perfect backup location for all your digital assets.

Safeguard important files

Avoid getting locked out of your files and folders using real-time versioning or scheduled backups. Your NAS can retain up to 32 previous versions of files from any computer, keeping them safe from folder encryption. Learn more

Protect entire systems

Prevent hackers from holding your deployments for ransom by backing them up to your NAS. Synology devices can easily back up data from physical computers, virtual environments, or SaaS applications. Learn more

Synchronize cloud-based data

Keep an updated copy of your public cloud-hosted files on a Synology NAS. DiskStation can encrypt your NAS copies to keep them safe if your public cloud service becomes compromised or inaccessible. Learn more

Back up off-site

Add another layer of protection and complete your 3-2-1 backup strategy by keeping copies of your files and restoring them if you are affected by ransomware.

Leverage another NAS

Defend against ransomware attacks by taking snapshots of shared folders or LUNs and replicating them to another Synology NAS. Learn more

Store data on an external device

Copy your NAS data and configurations to a separate device for safekeeping. DiskStation helps back up your NAS to remote servers or cloud destinations, with powerful customization options to reduce storage usage and protect data against unauthorized access. Learn more

Keep a cloud copy

Protect individual files, NAS data and configurations, and entire on-site devices by retaining unlimited backup copies, encrypted and stored in a secure cloud infrastructure powered by Synology. Learn more

Restore your backups

Even if your devices have been compromised, you can recover your data and applications by restoring your backups from a NAS or an off-site location.

Take back your files and folders

Quickly restore access to LUNs and shared folders on a primary NAS, or fail over to another NAS in seconds with Snapshot Replication. Previous versions of files stored on computers can be restored from a NAS using Synology Drive Client.

Reclaim your system

If any of your endpoints are compromised, you can recover PCs, servers, and virtual machines to a previous clean state using backups on your NAS with Active Backup for Business. Your NAS can also be fully restored from an off-site backup with Hyper Backup.

Recover with the cloud

Cloud backups are not directly connected to compromised on-premise devices, making them a safe and secure location for retrieving data. C2 Backup helps you restore entire PCs or individual files, while C2 Storage for Hyper Backup stores copies of your Synology NAS files and system configurations for fast and reliable recovery.

Reduce your risk, protect your data

Having an effective data protection plan can mitigate the risk of being locked out of critical data. Synology has a complete collection of data protection solutions to secure home and work environments from data loss.