Backing up your information, whether on a laptop or smartphone, prevents that data from being lost. Whether due to a virus or malfunction, backing up your data, especially sensitive data, can prevent you from losing important files. Backing up data to a separate location, such as a portable hard drive, can also prevent others from having access t
hard drive, either being used for sensitive information or one's backup. You can also encrypt your main hard drive on your computer, preventing anyone from accessing your files without a key (which can be a password or physical USB stick).
malware that will encrypt all the files on a hard drive then demand payment to release them. These attacks can be given through false links sent be emails or downloads from untrustworthy sites.
