The one rule that beats ransomware: back up 3-2-1

Almost every data disaster — ransomware, a failed drive, a stolen laptop, or just deleting the wrong folder — has the same cure, and it is boring: a backup you made earlier. The problem is that most people either have no backup, or one copy sitting on the same PC that fails.

The fix experts have recommended for years is the 3-2-1 rule: keep 3 copies of anything you would hate to lose, on 2 different types of storage, with 1 copy kept off-site. In plain terms for a home PC: the files on your computer (copy 1), a backup on an external drive (copy 2, different media), and a copy in cloud storage like OneDrive, Google Drive or Backblaze (copy 3, off-site).

Modern ransomware specifically hunts for backups on your network, so security teams now add a twist — the 3-2-1-1-0 version — where at least one copy is offline or immutable (unplugged, or a cloud copy that can't be altered). For home users the easiest way to hit that: unplug the external drive when the backup finishes, so malware can't reach it.

What to do: pick one cloud service and switch it on today, then make a habit of an external-drive copy you unplug afterward. Tendvane's Backup tool does the local half in one click — it copies your Documents, Pictures and Desktop to a USB drive or folder you choose — so between that and a cloud service you have the 3-2-1 bases covered.