Can Antivirus Software Detect And Remove Ransomware?

Ransomware is a cyber attack that happens suddenly – and is deeply personal. You try to log into your device suddenly find yourself locked out of your digital life and held hostage to an encryption that you can’t get through without paying up. It almost feels like something out of a movie and the worst part is, it’s becoming a very common occurrence.

In 2025 alone, around 19,000 UK businesses reported a ransomware incident, a number which almost doubled from the previous year. As hackers’ tactics become more advanced, anyone could be targeted from businesses and individuals to hospitals and schools.

But could antivirus stop and remove ransomware before the damage is done? To an extent, yes, but there are limitations to be aware of.

What Is Ransomware?

Ransomware is a form of malware which infects a device or network, usually encrypting files or the entire system so that they can’t be used. It then demands payment, often in cryptocurrency, in exchange for a decryption key to gain access again.

Simply put, it’s cybercriminals using extortion for financial gain. In some cases, they will steal private data before it’s encrypted and threaten to release it if the ransom isn’t paid.

While some may think that this type of cyber crime is only reserved for big corporations, the statistics paint a different picture. Statista reported that 60% of UK companies were victims of ransomware in 2024, affecting both small and large businesses alike.

What Does Antivirus Software Do?

Antivirus software is often your first line of defence when it comes to protecting your device and information. These are programmes loaded onto your device which work silently in the background to identify anything suspicious. If a download seems unreliable or an abnormal file request appears, antivirus isolates and removes it.

It does this by using a number of different techniques, often combining them for comprehensive protection.

Signature-Based Detection

Files are compared against known malware codes that already exist in a large database. If a match is found, the file is flagged and blocked.

Behaviour Monitoring

The antivirus software watches how files and programmes act in real-time. If something seems off and files are behaving differently to how they normally act, it alerts the device’s user.

Heuristic Analysis

This method looks at unusual behaviour instead of exact matches. If multiple files tried to be encrypted at once, it would raise a red flag.

Cloud Intelligence

All of the data from cyber threats is logged in the cloud, allowing antivirus to stop threats popping up in other parts of the world when other users have reported it.

Can Antivirus Detect Ransomware?

The majority of reputable antivirus software can identify and block most ransomware threats, often before they’ve had the chance to encrypt anything.

This is because when ransomware infects a device, the operating system begins to behave suspiciously. System settings can suddenly change in an attempt to encrypt, and antivirus is designed to spot this and stop it.

If the ransomware is stopped in its early stages, the infection can be prevented entirely and the device remains unaffected.

What If The Files Have Already Been Encrypted?

This, unfortunately, is where antivirus falls short. If ransomware has fully encrypted files, removing the malware won’t be able to decrypt them. The attacker holds the encryption key and if you don’t have that, your files remain completely unscrambled.

Even top-of-the-range antivirus software can’t restore encrypted data unless a certain decryption key has been developed for that particular strain of ransomware. This is very rare which means that in most cases, your antivirus can’t help if the files have already been encrypted.

How To Protect Yourself From Ransomware

Antivirus software is really just one piece of the puzzle. Reducing your risk of falling victim to a ransomware attack requires some proactivity on your part.

Keep your system updated: A lot of ransomware attacks specifically target known system vulnerabilities, so always keep both your device and antivirus software up-to-date for better protection.

Use a reputable provider: Some antivirus providers include ransomware-specific behaviour monitoring while others don’t, so it’s important to do your research beforehand.

Be aware of phishing: Phishing is normally the go-to way for delivering ransomware to your device, so be cautious when opening emails or links – even when it’s from people and companies you are familiar with.