Ransomware

Ransomware:
How do I protect against ransomware?

Ransomware is a very insidious from of malware where the writer of the virus attempts to encrypt (lock) the data on your computer and attempt to make you pay an expensive ransom to get your data back.  Unfortunately, this kind of attack is becoming more and more common.  To make matters worse, if you decide to pay the ransom, you may get the key to unlock your data back or you may not.  So how do you protect your business from a ransomware attack? A layered approach to your security is the answer.

It starts with your employees

It is vital that your staff are conscious of IT security. It is important that no one in your organization opens email attachments if the sender is not known. Email is one of the ways that ransomware finds its way into your environment.  Also, using media (flash drives, SD cards, etc.) in company machines that are possibly compromised is another problem that could introduce ransomware to your system.

Strong firewall/proper configuration

Make sure that your business has a professional-level firewall such as a Sonicwall or Unifi Dream machine pro.  If possible, make sure that no ports are open to the internet.  Ports are pathways that are opened to the inside of an organization to allow the operation of useful IT functions. The fewer open ports the better.

Backup

This is one of many reasons to back up your data. If you have a backup of your data, you can restore it instead of paying the ransom.  Also, there should be an effort to protect this backup as ransomware, in many cases, attempts to destroy the backup before encrypting the data.

Active ransomware protection

There are security providers such as Acronis Cyber Protect that offer real-time protection from ransomware.  If it detects a ransomware attack it will stop it and reverse any damage the ransomware tries to inflict.