How to Enable Ransomware Protection on Windows 10

For an illustrated overview about ransomware and what you can do to help protect yourself, see The 5Ws and 1H of ransomware.

Protect your PC from ransomware

Ransomware is malware that encrypts your files or stops you from using your computer until you pay money (a ransom) for them to be unlocked. If your computer is connected to a network the ransomware may also spread to other computers or storage devices on the network.

Some of the ways you can get infected by ransomware include:

• Visiting unsafe, suspicious, or fake websites.
• Opening file attachments that you weren’t expecting or from people you don’t know.
• Opening malicious or bad links in emails, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media posts, or in instant messenger or SMS chats.

You can often recognize a fake email and webpage because they have bad spelling, or just look unusual. Look out for strange spellings of company names (like “PayePal” instead of “PayPal”) or unusual spaces, symbols, or punctuation (like “iTunesCustomer Service” instead of “iTunes Customer Service”).

Ransomware can target any PC—whether it’s a home computer, PCs on an enterprise network, or servers used by a government agency.

Caution: Mobile devices can get ransomware too! Learn how to protect your devices

How can I help keep my PC secure?

• Make sure your PC is up to date with the latest version of Windows and all the latest patches. Learn more about Windows Update.
• Be sure Windows Security is turned on to help protect you from viruses and malware (or Windows Defender Security Center in previous versions of Windows 10).
• In Windows 10 or 11 turn on Controlled Folder Access to protect your important local folders from unauthorized programs like ransomware or other malware.
• Get ransomware detection and recovery with Microsoft 365 advanced protection.
• Back up your files with File History if it hasn’t already been turned on by your PC’s manufacturer. Learn more about File History.
• Store important files on Microsoft OneDrive. OneDrive includes built in ransomware detection and recovery as well as file versioning so you can restore a previous version of a file. And when you edit Microsoft Office files stored on OneDrive your work is automatically saved as you go.
• Use a secure, modern, browser such as Microsoft Edge.
• Restart your computer periodically; at least once a week. This can help ensure the applications and operating system are up-to-date and helps your system run better.

Note: If you’re a small business owner consider using Microsoft 365 Business Premium. It includes Microsoft Defender Advanced Threat Protection to help protect your business against online threats.

If you suspect you’ve been infected

Use antimalware programs, such as Windows Security, whenever you’re concerned your PC might be infected. For example, if you hear about new malware in the news or you notice odd behavior on your PC. See Virus & threat protection in Windows Security for how to scan your device.

If you actually get a ransomware infection

Unfortunately, a ransomware infection usually doesn’t show itself until you see some type of notification, either in a window, an app, or a full-screen message, demanding money to regain access to your PC or files. These messages often display after encrypting your files.

Try fully cleaning your PC with Windows Security. You should do this before you try to recover your files. Also see Backup and Restore in Windows for help on backing up and recovering files for your version of Windows.

Don’t pay money to recover your files. Even if you were to pay the ransom, there is no guarantee that you’ll regain access to your PC or files.

What to do if you already paid

If you’ve already paid the ransom, immediately contact your bank and your local authorities. If you paid with a credit card, your bank may be able to block the transaction and return your money.

You can also contact the following government fraud and scam reporting websites:

• In Australia, go to the SCAMwatch website.
• In Canada, go to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
• In France, go to the Agence nationale de la sécurité des systèmes d’information website.
• In Germany, go to the Bundesamt für Sicherheit in der Informationstechnik website.
• In Ireland, go to the An Garda Síochána website.
• In New Zealand, go to the Consumer Affairs Scams website.
• In the United Kingdom, go to the Action Fraud website.
• In the United States, go to the On Guard Online website.

If your region isn’t listed here, Microsoft recommends that you contact your region’s federal police or communications authority.

For an illustrated overview about ransomware and what you can do to help protect yourself, see The 5Ws and 1H of ransomware.

If you’re in an enterprise, see the Microsoft Malware Protection Center for in-depth information about ransomware.

How to Enable Ransomware Protection on Windows 10

With the COVID-19 pandemic stretching globally, hundreds of millions of people have resorted to working from home. But there are certain risks associated with this extensive influx of data pouring across the internet. The first priority would be the safety of your device and, in this case, the more you rely on remote working and browsing the internet, the more vulnerable you are to security threats.

These threats could either just inflict some minor damage such as pop-up windows or could have drastic consequences like ransomware. But, you can easily get ransomware protection on Windows 10 and get yourself some additional security.

How to Enable God Mode on Windows 10/11 in Just Three Steps

In simpler words, ransomware is designed to encrypt your files and take over your PC’s data in exchange for a sum of money. But fortunately, Microsoft introduced a new security feature in the Windows 10 Fall Creators’ Update (Version 1709) that potentially guards you against ransomware.

Here’s how you can enable ransomware protection on Windows 10:

1. Open the Start menu and type settings in the search bar. Click on the Settings app to proceed.
2. In the Settings menu, select the Update & Security tab.
3. Click on the Windows Security panel in the Update & Security menu.
4. Select Virus & threat protection from the Windows Security panel.
5. Scroll down to reveal the Ransomware protection menu and then select the Manage ransomware protection option.
6. Simply toggle the Controlled folder access button to ON to enable ransomware protection on Windows 10. This basically restricts any unknown entities from making any changes to the files of your PC.
7. Once the Controlled folder access is turned ON, you can edit the Protected folders on the PC or Allow an app through Controlled folder access.

But, it is always recommended to have a failsafe as this does not guarantee your data’s safety entirely. To accomplish this task, you can simply create an online and offline backup of your data i.e. the external hard drive and OneDrive or any other cloud platform. In Windows 10, you can conveniently pair up with a OneDrive account for exclusive ransomware data recovery.

1. In the same tab, click on Set up OneDrive to continue.
2. Enter your OneDrive Email ID and Password, select Sign In to continue and Voila! You will be signed in within no time.
3. You can now view that your OneDrive account is paired with your computer.

What if your computer is already showing symptoms?

The above-mentioned steps can be counted as precautionary methods but what if your computer has been acting up lately. Here’s what to do:

1. Head to the Virus & threat protection panel in the Windows Security tab and click on Quick Scan to identify any bugs or threats endangering your PC.
2. Windows 10 will commence a quick scan of your PC to look out for any suspicious activity or malware.
3. The system will notify you when the scan is completed and whether or not any risky elements have been reported. Generally, Windows Defender takes care of any threats automatically during the scan.

How to allow apps blocked by ransomware protection on Windows 10 October 2018 Update

You can now allow apps that were blocked by Windows 10’s ransomware protection using this new option on version 1809.

On Windows Security (formerly known as Windows Defender Security Center), Controlled folder access is a feature designed to protect your data against ransomware and other dangerous malware.

When enabled, the anti-malware feature monitors the changes that apps make to your documents, and if suspicious behavior is detected, the app gets blocked automatically. The only caveat is that it’s not perfect, and it’s possible for Controlled folder access to block a trusted application.

To ease this problem, starting with the Windows 10 October 2018 Update (version 1809), the feature has updated with a new option to quickly allow recently blocked applications without the need to disable the security feature just because of a false positive.

In this Windows 10 guide, we’ll walk you through the easy steps to whitelist app that you trust and were recently blocked by Controlled folder access with the new option available with the October 2018 Update.

How to allow blocked apps by the Windows 10’s ransomware protection

To allow apps that were recently blocked by Controlled folder access on Windows Security, use these steps:

1. Open Windows Security.
2. Click on Virus & threat protection.
3. Under “Ransomware protection,” click the Manage ransomware protection option.

1. Click the Allow an app through Controlled folder access option.

1. Click the Add an allowed app button.
2. Click the Recently blocked apps option.

1. Click the + (plus) button for the app you trust and want to allow.

Once you’ve completed the steps, Controlled folder access will no longer try to block the app you allowed on Windows 10.

If you made a mistake, you can always select the app from the list, and click the Remove button to block it again.

Do you use the ransomware protection available on Windows 10? Let us know in the comments.

More Windows 10 resources

For more helpful articles, coverage, and answers to common questions about Windows 10, visit the following resources:

• Windows 10 on Windows Central – All you need to know
• Windows 10 help, tips, and tricks
• Windows 10 forums on Windows Central

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