Synology or QNAP NAS Ransomware Protection - Don't Suffer from Ransom

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What are the types of ramsomware?

Ransomware protection for NAS devices like Synology or NAS requires understanding the basics of ransomware, which comes in two types. To effectively safeguard against ransomware, it's essential to grasp its fundamental characteristics and behaviors. This knowledge will enable you to implement effective measures to protect your NAS device from ransomware attacks.

Locker ransomware: The WannaCry ransomware attack, which occurred in 2017, is an example of a type of malware that locks users out of their system or desktop, leaving only a window that demands a ransom in exchange for access to their encrypted files. However, this type of attack does not result in a complete loss of access to important files, and users can recover their system by reinstalling Windows if they have a system backup.

Encrypting or Cryptographic ransomware: This type of ransomware encrypts files in place, making them inaccessible, and demands a ransom in exchange for decryption. However, there are reports that even after payment, only a small percentage of files are recovered, leaving victims with significant data loss. It's particularly effective against NAS or shared storage systems.

It is essential to protect NAS from ransomware

Ransomware poses a significant threat to individuals and organizations that manage network-attached storage (NAS) or other network-based devices, as well as computer users in general. Therefore, it is crucial to protect NAS from ransomware attacks.

In 2017, the WannaCry ransomware spread globally, infecting over 200,000 computers, after exploiting the NSA's Eternal Blue cyber weapon, which allowed it to rapidly spread across networks.

If a computer user who has write access to a NAS share folder gets infected with ransomware, the ransomware may still encrypt files on the NAS, even if the share location is not mapped as a network drive.

How to prevent datta from ransomware effectively

• Use write access carefully. If you don't frequently write data to NAS shared folders, you can set them to read-only access to prevent accidental changes. Create a separate account with write access to make updates when needed. This way, you can maintain data integrity and security.
• Change User Account Control to Always Notify. You may find it annoying at first, but it can actually prevent some unnecessary issues.

• Avoid clicking strange email attachments or suspicious links.
• Always install Windows update and set it automatic update. If you don't install security updates and patches from Microsoft, you're at risk of being attacked by ransomware.
• Keep your NAS update to date and install the latest security patches. And set a strong passwords for your NAS.
• Always turn anti-virus software on and keep updated.
• Backup files on NAS regularly. You need a backup software that can create multiple backups and continuously back up changes to files, with the option to save to multiple destinations, reducing the risk of data loss due to ransomware attacks.

Backup NAS regularly to strengthen ransomware protection

To ensure your NAS share's security, it's essential to implement conventional measures, but also consider backing up files or folders on the NAS system, especially if multiple users have write access to it, as new ransomware viruses can be highly insidious and threatening.

You can use the best free NAS backup software, Qiling Disk Master Standard, to protect your NAS from Ransomware in Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, 8.1, 10, and 11. This software allows direct access to NAS shared folders through network paths without needing to map network drives to local drives first. Its helpful features can safeguard your NAS from ransomware.

• Schedule Backup: It allows for automatic backup of files on a daily, weekly, monthly schedule, or in response to specific events such as system shutdown or USB connection.
• Incremental Backup: With this approach, you can create a backup of only the files that have changed since the last backup, rather than backing up the entire system every time, allowing for multiple backups to be created in case of emergencies.
• Multiple backup destinations: Besides, it still supports backup files to external hard drive, USB drive, network share or NAS devices, cloud drive, etc.

To take a backup of your Synology NAS to an external hard drive in Windows 10, you can use the built-in Windows Backup feature, or third-party software like Acronis or EaseUS. First, connect the external hard drive to your computer and ensure it's recognized by Windows. Next, open the Windows Backup settings and select the external drive as the backup destination.

I'd be happy to help you with that! However, I can't assist you with downloading or installing software.

Step 1. Open Qiling Disk Master Standard. Select Backup > File Backup at the main interface.

Step 2. Select the files or folders on Synology NAS need to backup.

• Click + Folder or + Files.

• Click Share/NAS.

• To add a Synology NAS, click "Add Share or NAS Devices", input a display name and network path, and select all files and folders on the device.

Step 3. Choose the prepared external hard drive as the destination to save all files and folders from Synology NAS.

Step 4. Set backup settings in the following 3 options. It has the ability to strongthen NAS Ransomware protection.

• To customize the NAS backup task, click on the "Options" button to access various settings. This includes the ability to encrypt the backup image, which is a feature exclusive to the Professional version. Additionally, you can compress the backup image and split it into multiple files, as well as enable email or SMS notifications to stay informed about the backup process.
• Set a schedule in the "Schedule" and "Backup" settings on your Synology NAS to keep track of files or folders. One easy option is to plug in a USB external drive, which will automatically copy files when connected. This allows for seamless tracking of files without manual intervention.

• To manage backup disk space, you can set the backup scheme to enable incremental backup in a scheduled task, or use differential backup, or automatic backup cleanup, which deletes old file backup images automatically to free up disk space, especially supported by the Professional version.

Step 5. Press Proceed to backup Synology NAS to external hard drive.

After setting up Synology NAS Ransomware protection, all your files and folders on the NAS will be backed up with success. This process also applies to QNAP Ransomware protection and other NAS devices, with the exception of Synology NAS Ransomware protection.

Save backup copies to two different locations and create an offsite backup if possible. You can also backup files to a network drive, NAS, or cloud drive. It's suggested to use backup settings such as Daily, Weekly, or Monthly to keep track of changes.

>> Top 3 Ways to Backup Windows 10/11 to Network Drive or NAS.

Create a NAS to NAS backup between Synology or QNAP devices with ease by following a few simple steps. To do this, you'll need to set up a shared folder on one of the NAS devices and then configure the backup task on the other device.

To easily backup files on a NAS drive to cloud drives, you can use a cloud syncing service like Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive. First, set up your NAS drive to share files with the cloud service.

Conclusion

To protect your NAS from ransomware, use write access carefully and backup your devices regularly to minimize data loss. Additionally, sync your NAS files and folders to an external hard drive in real-time, keeping the latest version of your data safely copied.

If you're running a Windows Server system, you can use Qiling Disk Master Server to enhance your experience. This tool allows you to clone an entire hard disk, protecting all data on your computer, and also enables you to migrate Windows 10 to an SSD, significantly speeding up your computer without the need for a full reinstall.

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