What is ransomware, and what is a key mitigation Norton provides?

• A. Ransomware is malware that encrypts files for ransom; Norton mitigates with real-time protection, exploit protection, and backups.
• B. Ransomware is a virus that deletes files on boot; Norton uses disk repair tools.
• C. Ransomware is software that slows down PC; Norton uses performance boosting features.
• D. Ransomware is adware; Norton blocks with pop-up blocking.

Answer: (A)

Ransomware is malware that encrypts your files and demands payment to restore access. A key mitigation Norton provides includes real-time protection to block the malware before it can encrypt files, exploit protection to guard against tricks attackers use to exploit software weaknesses, and backups so you can recover your data without paying. Backups are most effective when kept offline or in the cloud and updated regularly, so you can restore clean copies even if the device is compromised. Other described scenarios don’t match ransomware’s encryption-and-recovery pattern and don’t highlight the protections that stop the encryption or enable restoration.