Avast launches Ransomware Shield to fight growing threats to businesses

Avast has announced the launch of Ransomware Shield for Avast Essential, Premium, and Ultimate Business Security for businesses on Windows and macOS. It’s designed to help organizations stay safe against ransomware attacks, which encrypt hard drives and demand ransoms to have files unlocked.

According to Avast, ransomware attacks declined during Q4’21 and Q1’22, but began rising again in the second quarter this year. Specifically, the Ransomware Shield safeguards files and folders from being modified, deleted, or encrypted by unknown applications. Admins will be able to choose which applications have permission to access files, preventing ransomware programs from causing havoc.

Commenting on the new Ransomware Shield, Filip Hlinka, VP of Product, Avast Business, said:

 “Small businesses are facing a growing threat from ransomware, with cybercriminals increasingly targeting smaller organizations to encrypt crucial business data and disrupt operations. The results can be devastating for small businesses that lack the financial and technical resources to rebound from such attacks. Avast's antivirus has always offered consumers and business users powerful protection against cyberthreats including ransomware, and Ransomware Shield offers a purpose-built, additional layer of protection which helps to secure businesses' most crucial files against these highly damaging attacks.”

With Avast, businesses already had some protection against ransomware with a comprehensive set of tools including Web Shield, File Shield, and Behavior Shield. The new Ransomware Shield will complement these to strengthen security. The feature is now enabled by default, and the list of protected files and folders can be edited in the Avast Business Hub.

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