Make Your Business A Fortress Against Malware/Ransomware
Ransomware Help Request Options
Most people have heard about ransomware, but are short on the details. Hopefully, you’re not staring at a pop-up on your computer screen demanding that you pay a ransom because of an infection. If so, we can help you. For more, read below, or click the contact-us link below right now.
The ideal situation, is if you want to proactively and cost-effectively establish your small business as a fortress against ransomware/malware. We can help you with that also. For more, read below, or click the contact-us link immediately below right now.
Ransomware Overview
Ransomware, is a type of malware that prevents users from accessing their system or personal files and demands ransom payment in order to regain access.
The first ransomware attack was created in 1989 by Dr. Joseph Popp, an AIDS researcher. He carried out the attack by distributing 20,000 floppy disks to AIDS researchers in more than 80 countries. The floppy disk contained an AIDS risk questionnaire, and a malware program that was activated after the computer was re-booted 90 times. At that point, the malware encrypted the names of all files on C:Drive, and displayed a message demanding a payment of $189 and $378 for a software lease. This ransomware has variously been known as AIDS(Aids Info Disk) and the PC Cyborg Trojan.
While early ransomware developers typically wrote their own encryption code, the vast majority of today’s attackers are reliant on ‘off the shelf libraries’ that are offered as RaaS (Ransomware as a Service). The ransomware author gets a ‘cut’ of the stolen funds. In addition, more ransomware criminals have moved from mass spam email campaigns, to ‘spear-phishing’ campaigns, which target individuals on a specific case-by-case basis.
The most pervasive ransomware attack, likely of all time, was the WannaCry scourge of 2017. WannaCry spread like wildfire, encrypting hundreds of thousands of computers in more than 150 countries in a matter of hours. This malware was spread like a computer worm, across computers and over the network, using the Windows SMB protocol. Analysis eventually confirmed that WannaCry relied on stolen NSA-developed exploits, DoublePulsar and EternalBlue, to hack into Windows PCs and spread through the network. These NSA exploits had been posted online for anyone to use.
What To Do If I’m Infected?
*Immediately contact us, at the contact-us link below.
*Our first steps will be to confirm the ransomware definition/source, and validate if a decryptor is available to possibly) unencrypt the encrypted files. No guarantees one exits.
*Don’t pay the ransom. If you do, there’s no guarantee you will get access to your encrypted files anyway.
*An additional option to execute is remediation/threat removal, but only if a decision has been made to not pay the ransom, and/or the decryptor was successful.
How Do I Prevent Ransomware/Malware Infections at My Business?
Contact us right away, at the link above, or take a minute and skim the smart solution components below;
IT Processes to Prevent Malware Infection
Frequent, Tested Backups: Recurring backup of every vital file and system is the strongest defenses against ransomware. Data can be restored to a previous save point.
Structured, Regular Updates: Software used by businesses is commonly updated by the software creator. These updates can include patches to make the software more secure against known threats. Clearly designated lines of authority & responsibility must be setup here.
Intelligent Security Restrictions: Limitations should be placed on all employees and contractors, third party or temporary, who:
*access computers that contain company files, records and/or programs
*use devices attached to company networks that could be made vulnerable
Proper Credential Tracking: Any employee, contractor, and person who is given access to systems create a potential vulnerability point for ransomware. Credentials must be reviewed, modified and updated on a recurring basis.
Team Member Education & Refresher
The most likely component of a successful ransomware attack is human error. Educate all the members of your business team, on how to detect malspam, email phishing, suspicious websites, and other scams. Quality education with a timely refresher is the most effective defense against ransomware/malware.
Think Before You Click
*Do not click on links or attachments from senders that you do not recognize. Be especially wary of .zip or other compressed or executable file types.
• Do not provide sensitive personal information (like usernames and passwords) over email.
• Watch for email senders that use suspicious or misleading domain names.
• If you can’t tell if an email is legitimate or not, please contact the IT department.
• Be especially cautious when opening attachments or clicking links if you receive an email containing a warning banner
indicating that it originated from an external source.
Specific Proactive Technical Solutions
There are a broad range of technical solutions available to prevent malware/ransomware infections, including but not limited to;
*Endpoint detection
*Scanning
*Hypervisors
*Software for Immutable backups
*Automatic software backup solutions
*Etc.
These components, implemented in the right combination, will go a long way towards preventing any malware/ransomware infection at your business organization.
We WILL deliver the solution that you need !
As a first step, we will be delighted to answer any and all of your questions !
Contact Us Today !