Beyond antivirus software, what proactive step significantly mitigates ransomware attacks?

Beyond antivirus software, regularly backing up data to an isolated, offline location significantly mitigates ransomware attacks. 'Ransomware' is a type of malicious software that encrypts a victim's files and demands a ransom payment to restore access. While antivirus software can help prevent some ransomware infections, it's not always effective against new or sophisticated variants. If a system is infected with ransomware, having recent, clean backups allows the victim to restore their files without paying the ransom. The key is that the backup location must be isolated from the network or system being backed up. This means the backup should be stored on a separate drive that is physically disconnected from the computer, or in a cloud storage location that is not constantly synchronized and has version control. If the backup is connected to the infected system, the ransomware can also encrypt the backup files, rendering them useless. For example, regularly backing up important documents, photos, and other files to an external hard drive that is disconnected after each backup protects those files from being encrypted during a ransomware attack. This allows a complete system restore to a point before the infection, minimizing data loss and avoiding the need to pay the ransom.