If you want to ensure that your files won’t get blocked by malicious users, you need to use the best ransomware protection for detecting possible threats. It will allow you to keep your data private and save a lot of money.
Below, we have rounded up the best programs for keeping your device safe and secure. They stand out for their protection features, deliver excellent performance, are extremely reliable, and have many other advantages, which makes them a perfect option to consider.
Advanced antivirus with a firewall. You should focus on preventing ransomware from accessing your files. This is why it’s better to use a reliable antivirus with an in-built firewall.
Creating backups. In case your device gets targeted by ransomware, the best way to restore your files is to use their backup copies. It will save you from paying the ransom.
Updater. Outdated programs make your system vulnerable to threats. As it might be difficult to update all your programs manually, you can use a special tool for keeping your programs up to date.
Ability to detect suspicious behavior. Ransomware software can affect the performance of your OS and block your files unless you use dedicated tools to protect your device from it. If you use a reliable tool, it will quickly detect malware and ransomware, which will prevent third parties from getting access to your files or encrypting them.
Anti-spam feature. Your device might get affected if you click on a malicious URL. However, a good ransomware should have a dedicated anti-spam feature that analyzes your mail and blocks emails with suspicious links or attachments.
Best for ultra-fast ransomware detection
★★★★★ (5/5)
Why is it worth to use it?
Surfshark was designed to ensure advanced protection of user devices from all kinds of malware and ransomware attacks. With it, you can protect your device from trojans, worms, or annoying pop-up ads. Besides, it will protect you from being tracked. You can schedule scans and choose between full and quick scans. In addition, you can drag and drop specific files to scan them.
It took me about 25 minutes to perform the full scan. This program detected 9 out of 10 ransomware samples that I used during testing. To make the most out of this antivirus, you can also indicate which types of items you don’t want to scan.
When scanning my device, I noticed that the program used only 22% of the CPU power. Due to this, you can be sure that this software won’t slow down your computer. To sum up, Surfshark Antivirus provides the best ransomware protection, is extremely easy to use, and delivers top-level performance. It demonstrated excellent results during testing, which makes it a great choice for protecting your devices from viruses and detecting ransomware threats.
Who's it best for?
Surfshark Antivirus is an excellent option for budget-conscious people who are looking for a tool providing high-grade protection. It will protect your device from malware and phishing attacks, which makes it suitable for all kinds of users. Another advantage of Surfshark is that it has an intuitive UI. You can download versions for different types of devices.
Best for multi-layered ransomware protection
★★★★☆ (4.5/5)
Why is it worth to use it?
Bitdefender Antivirus Plus is one of the best options on the market for protecting user devices from all types of malware. It gets impressive scores from trusted testing labs, which explains why it demonstrated top-level results during our testing as well. If you opt for the Plus version, you will get access to ransomware protection features.
The in-built system analyzes the behavior of a suspicious program. If it raises its suspicions, this Mac antivirus software creates backups of files that might get affected. Due to its advanced malware protection system, Bitdefender quickly deleted the ransomware samples I used. This is why I decided to turn this feature off and test this program again.
The second time, this ransomware protection software also quickly detected and eliminated ransomware. However, when the antivirus was turned off, the program missed one sample that could have encrypted the hard drive. This is why it’s better to use all the features of this antivirus suite to ensure full protection of your files.
Who's it best for?
If you don’t have a lot of money to spend and want to find a trusted all-in-one solution, Bitdefender Antivirus Plus is exactly what you need. This popular antivirus software has a variety of tools for protecting user data from ransomware attacks as well. Besides, it has top-level security features.
Best for reversing ransomware effects
★★★★☆ (4.5/5)
Why is it worth to use it?
Webroot AntiVirus stands out among other malware removal software due to its cloud-based functionality. After detecting unknown software, it starts tracking the changes it makes, blocks any actions, and sends analyzed data to the cloud-based Webroot service.
If the cloud-based center decides that a problem requires a solution, Webroot removes it from a device and reverts the changes it made.
This integration with the cloud allowed the developers to make Webroot the most lightweight solution. Besides, the scan speed is quite high as well. The only disadvantage is that you might need to wait for a long time until the cloud-based service decides whether a program you want to analyze is dangerous or not. This is why the effectiveness of this ransomware blocker can’t be tested properly.
Webroot managed to detect and delete my ransomware samples in no time. I decided to create a difficult challenge and modified ransomware samples to test its detection mechanisms. Some of the samples didn’t perform any tasks. Webroot managed to detect and delete all active samples as well as restore encrypted data.
Who's it best for?
Similar to Bitdefender, Webroot was created as antivirus software with dedicated features for protecting user data against ransomware. This is why you don’t need to buy a standalone ransomware product in addition to it. This program doesn’t take up a lot of space on your PC, which makes it perfect for those who value efficient solutions.
Best for ransomware file recovery
★★★★☆ (4.5/5)
Why is it worth to use it?
In most cases, by creating backups regularly, you can ensure the safety of your data, as it guarantees that you will be able to restore clean versions of files. This is why the developers of Acronis Cyber Protect Home Office decided to focus on this task. While many ransomware programs are designed to attack backups as well, Acronis manages to protect file copies from such attacks successfully.
It provides the best protection against ransomware as it comes with integrated tools for protecting your data against malware and ransomware. It also doubles as an enterprise backup software. However, it’s not promoted as an antivirus, which explains the fact that it doesn’t get tested by antivirus labs. When we tested its antivirus tools, the results ranged from mediocre to superb.
To test out the features of this software, I decided to turn off my antivirus to see whether this program would be able to see ransomware samples. This tool managed to detect all the samples and restore information in damaged documents. It recovered unaffected versions of files from the backup.
Who's it best for?
If you work with classified documents or simply don’t want to disclose your sensitive information to third parties, you can use Acronis to securely protect your files from different kinds of ransomware attacks. It allows you to do everything possible to ensure the security of your information by creating full backups.
Best for dedicated ransomware protection
★★★★☆ (4.5/5)
Why is it worth to use it?
Several years ago, it was possible to access multiple tools that provided dedicated ransomware protection. Check Point ZoneAlarm Anti-Ransomware was and still is one of the best options to consider. It outlived its competitors and still offers viable solutions for protecting user security.
What makes this software stand out among the rest is that it creates files that function as baits for ransomware. ZoneAlarm also has an antivirus that protects devices from ransomware. During testing, I disabled the antivirus to see how good their ransomware system was.
When testing this ransomware blocker, I was pleased to see that it detected all samples and restored most files. One ransomware sample encrypted other samples, but this tool failed to recover them since such types of files rarely get blocked by ransomware.
Who's it best for?
Even if you are fully satisfied with your antivirus program or internet security suites, you might notice that it is less efficient when it comes to blocking ransomware. This is why you can use ZoneAlarm to ensure that your data is securely protected.
Best for cautious users
★★★★☆ (4.5/5)
Why is it worth to use it?
Even if the tool you use can detect ransomware, it can still be tricked by the most complex attacks, which will allow third parties to get access to your data. The developers of NeuShield Data Sentinel know all too well that it might be impossible to accurately detect all kinds of attacks. This is why they decided to focus on recovering files blocked during such attacks.
Using the One-Click Restore tool available in this anti-spyware software, you can restore the earlier version of your OS after reboot. Once the threat gets eliminated, you can Revert your files to their unaffected copies saved by this software.
During the testing stage, this ransomware protection software managed to stop every attack aimed at encrypting files. While it failed to encrypt some .CAB files and logs, it didn’t cause any issues for my OS. Keep in mind that this software has tools for countering ransomware that encrypts hard drives. You can also control it remotely to protect your devices from screen-lockers.
Who's it best for?
If you have already used similar services and understand that no software can guarantee full protection, you can benefit from using NeuShield Data Sentinel. Even if its behavior-based detector fails to discover ransomware, you can use this service to restore files blocked during the attack.
Best for protecting family members
★★★★☆ (4.5/5)
Why is it worth to use it?
Large companies rely on IT teams of cybersecurity specialists who protect their data remotely. Sophos Home Premium allows you to enjoy a similar level of protection. It has versions for personal computers and Macs. You can install it on the devices of your friends and family members and configure your privacy settings remotely.
The key advantage of this ransomware blocker is that it is quite affordable and allows you to enjoy top-level protection. Only one of the reputable labs I follow tested Sophos. However, SE Labs concluded that it provides the AAA level of protection. It got excellent scores during our testing for malware protection and malicious URL detection.
Another selling point of this service is that it detects ransomware even when your basic antivirus protection stops working. It detected a dozen ransomware samples and failed to detect only one that didn’t damage any files.
Who's it best for?
This solution will be especially useful for family-oriented users who need to protect their loved ones. You can use Sophos Home Premium to protect your devices using remote access tools. Besides, the company has an informative cyber security blog that includes many useful tips.
Best for inexpensive protection
★★★★☆ (4/5)
Why is it worth to use it?
When using Data443 Ransomware Remediation Manager, you can be sure that you can restore your data and get rid of ransomware by rebooting your computer. Once this ransomware protection software detects an issue, it automatically reboots your OS and restores its previous state.
The antivirus software keeps protected copies of files in separate folders and uses them to restore damaged files after the reboot. The program efficiently eliminated all ransomware attacks during the testing, even though it didn’t manage to restore all files.
Who's it best for?
To make the most out of this service, you need to get used to it. For instance, it’s important to turn it off when you want to update this program of your OS. Otherwise, the program will revert to its earlier version after reboot. However, once you learn how to use it, this tool will become invaluable for protecting your data at a fraction of the cost.
Best for complete file protection
★★★★☆ (4/5)
Why is it worth to use it?
After running Panda Dome Advanced, you will see a calming and pleasant background scene. It makes this program different from other similar services with solid-color UI backgrounds. Besides, you will be able to quickly find the tools you need.
This security suite includes a range of features, including antivirus with VPN, firewall, USB Vaccination, a network scanner, parental control tools, etc. Besides, you can use it to create lists of trusted applications.
Many programs that protect users from ransomware attacks prevent unauthorized applications from editing the files in private folders. Users get notifications when malware tries to make any changes. It allows them to block unauthorized access to their files.
Panda utilizes advanced protection measures and securely blocks all protected files from being viewed or opened. Unless a program has authorization, it won’t be able to learn anything about your files. After testing this service, I can confirm that this solution protects devices against powerful ransomware and other programs that might change your files.
Who's it best for?
In some cases, malicious users perform complex attacks aiming to maximize damage. Unless you pay the ransom, they will leave your files encrypted. Besides, they might threaten you with making your private files public. In this case, you will get your files back but only because everyone will be able to access them as well.
If you don’t want to disclose your personal information and worry that the publication of your files online might damage your reputation, make sure to use the all-in-one ransomware software offered by Panda. It will allow you to ensure the privacy of your data.
