The objective of ransomware is simple: using invasive encryption to extort money by holding an organization’s network and data hostage. But ransomware technology is far from simple, and it can inflict severe damage on businesses and institutions of any size.

Your best strategy?

Be sure that your network is well-protected before the vandals have broken down your gates. If they strike before you’ve hardened your defenses, you can take steps to minimize the damage while you make repairs.

• Don’t pay the ransom. If you do, the crooks have no incentive to let you off the hook. You have shown that you will give in to threats, so you can expect more demands, with no guarantee of a good outcome. Even if the hackers are satisfied with one payment, they can attack again.
• If you can, find out which strain of ransomware you’re up against. Hackers work constantly to counter the latest safeguards, so it’s worth the effort to find accurate information about your particular intrusion.
• Isolate the infected systems. Removing the infected machine(s) from your network may leave you temporarily hobbled, but the threat will be contained and you can get to work on removing the malware.

To prevent attacks, take decisive measures to protect your network and your data. If you have anti-malware defenses installed, you may want to check them for vulnerabilities.

• If yours is a small business, set up a scale-appropriate data protection process.
• Whatever your organization’s size, create a disaster plan.
• Be sure that your security solutions cover every aspect of your network and workstations.
• Look at potential single points of failure.
• Guard against endpoint penetration.

The proliferation of network-integrated smartphones and tablets provides convenient back-door entry opportunities for hackers. Endpoint devices may not be as well-protected as their vendors claim.

Ransomware usually enters a network through innocent-seeming emails, so your users and employees should be part of your defense process.

• Take steps to make your web browsers safe.
• Educate your users and employees about malware and what can be done to block threats.
• Be careful in granting users access to vulnerable areas. If an infection strikes a user’s workstation, it may penetrate network areas that the user has permission to enter.

Take advantage of powerful defensive tools.

• Protect your email. Conventional password protection is not enough.
• Malware can invade your network invisibly via email, but a solid authentication system makes it easier to see.
• Back up the data on all your servers and workstations using the strongest and most reliable tools. If you don’t already have well-protected backup software in place, be sure to routinely copy your data to removable storage.
• The key to lowering hacker-driven downtime is DRaaS
• Look at best practices that promote redundancy
• Cloud backup is the key component of effective data protection.
• But be aware that cloud backup systems are not alike. If you have cloud backup in place, it may be time to reevaluate it.

These are some of the basics. To discuss best practices that promote redundancy and protection of your company’s infrastructure contact us below.

This post is part of an ongoing series about how small business owners can prevent scams and fraud in the workplace. According to Wikipedia, “’Malware’ is an umbrella term used to refer to a variety of forms of hostile or intrusive software, including computer viruses, worms, Trojan horses, ransomware, spyware, adware, scareware, and other malicious programs. It can take the form of executable code, scripts, active content, and other software.” Malware, in various forms, has been around for a long, long time. Once one variant is defeated another one is created. Criminal elements use malware to steal information, ransom money from victims, and generally create chaos. Dealing with malware requires awareness, vigilance, and proper protection.

Many ways to get to your computer

Malware can make its way onto your company’s machines from the Internet, including downloads, email attachments, clicked links in social media posts, and more. One particularly nasty piece of malware to be aware of is keylogging. Keylogging is malware that tracks a user’s keyboard strokes. This creates a window for criminals to see your passwords, credit card numbers, and anything else a user types in. The good news is that keeping your company’s security software up to date will make it more difficult for this type of malicious code from infecting your network.

Beware of spyware

Spyware and adware is usually found while browsing the Internet and when installed it will send pop-up ads, redirect to certain websites, and track the websites you visit. To add insult to injury, Spyware can cause your computer to run slow and may also leave you open to the theft of your privacy. To avoid being infected with spyware and adware, limit cookies on your browser preferences and only accept them from sites you trust, never click on links within pop-up windows, and be extremely wary of free offers of downloadable software from untrusted sources.

ALWAYS consider the source.

Make sure that if your employees are installing apps on their phones or devices they only download from reputable sources like the Google Play store or from Apple. Recently, over 20,000 retrofitted Android applications were found to be infected with bugs from one of three malware families called Shuanet, Kemoge, or “ShiftyBug,” and Shedun or “GhostPush.” These infected applications were downloaded from third-party sites. What makes these examples particularly bad, is their ability to access the root directory and install themselves as systems applications—making them virtually impossible for the end user to remove.

If you would like to find out more about our products and services, as well as recommendations for anti-virus and anti-malware protection, give us a call today!