Keep your organization running smoothly and securely with our team of IT professionals at Roan Solutions.
Keep your organization running smoothly and securely with our team of IT professionals at Roan Solutions.
Today, businesses of every size and across diverse disciplines rely on technology to process payments, collaborate with partners, facilitate manufacturing and nearly every other essential operational task. Just as commerce has moved to the digital space, so too has theft and extortion. The keyboard has replaced the crowbar for profit-motivated criminals from around the world who coerce their victims with ransomware attacks. In such instances, data, software and other digital assets are locked with malware by the attacker until a ransom is paid. A threat of publishing stolen data is often included as well.
Today, businesses of every size and across diverse disciplines rely on technology to process payments, collaborate with partners, facilitate manufacturing and nearly every other essential operational task. Just as commerce has moved to the digital space, so too has theft and extortion. The keyboard has replaced the crowbar for profit-motivated criminals from around the world who coerce their victims with ransomware attacks. In such instances, data, software and other digital assets are locked with malware by the attacker until a ransom is paid. A threat of publishing stolen data is often included as well.
Fortunately, there are preemptive steps that you can take to prevent and recover from ransomware attacks. We will explore a few key strategies that you and your partnered IT company can start implementing right away. While the challenge of how to protect against ransomware is highly nuanced for each organization that addresses it, these general tips can help you get a head start on cyber health and crisis preparedness.
Call (617) 958-6780 or email info@roansolutions.com to discuss ransomware protection options for your business.
Regular Monitoring
Keep track of user activity, identify suspicious patterns and follow up to keep tabs on potential cyberthreats as they emerge. Ensure operating systems and software have the latest updates and patches. Automatic malware and virus scanning applications should be run on a recurring schedule and have current definitions.
System Administration
Administrative steps, such as assigning user profiles with tiered access levels and creating an application directory whitelist so that only approved software can run, can dramatically reduce the risk of ransomware attacks.
Employee Awareness
Many ransomware attacks are the product of innocent mistakes made by users who lack cyberthreat-specific situational awareness. Conducting staff training seminars, distributing educational literature and revising technology usage policies can help you avoid falling victim to common schemes that result in ransomware attacks like ‘phishing’. This term refers to nefarious emails and landing pages disguised as reputable sources to trick users into handing over sensitive information.
Backup
One of the most critical steps you can take in ransomware preparedness is creating deployable backups of all data, executables and other digital assets as well as extras of the equipment like computers and servers that your organization relies on. Having the right equipment available will negate compatibility issues and drastically reduce downtime. Backups should have multiple redundancies and be checked regularly to ensure proper function. To eliminate any chance of unauthorized access, it is important that your backups are not connected to the internet
Have a Plan
Make an outline of the specific actions to take if a ransomware attack should occur. Writing down where all necessary supplies are located, which members of your team are responsible for what and other details will help you navigate the situation with tact and efficiency.
Fortunately, there are preemptive steps that you can take to prevent and recover from ransomware attacks. We will explore a few key strategies that you and your partnered IT company can start implementing right away. While the challenge of how to protect against ransomware is highly nuanced for each organization that addresses it, these general tips can help you get a head start on cyber health and crisis preparedness.
Call (617) 958-6780 or email info@roansolutions.com to discuss ransomware protection options for your business.
Regular Monitoring
Keep track of user activity, identify suspicious patterns and follow up to keep tabs on potential cyberthreats as they emerge. Ensure operating systems and software have the latest updates and patches. Automatic malware and virus scanning applications should be run on a recurring schedule and have current definitions.
System Administration
Administrative steps, such as assigning user profiles with tiered access levels and creating an application directory whitelist so that only approved software can run, can dramatically reduce the risk of ransomware attacks.
Employee Awareness
Many ransomware attacks are the product of innocent mistakes made by users who lack cyberthreat-specific situational awareness. Conducting staff training seminars, distributing educational literature and revising technology usage policies can help you avoid falling victim to common schemes that result in ransomware attacks like ‘phishing’. This term refers to nefarious emails and landing pages disguised as reputable sources to trick users into handing over sensitive information.
Backup
One of the most critical steps you can take in ransomware preparedness is creating deployable backups of all data, executables and other digital assets as well as extras of the equipment like computers and servers that your organization relies on. Having the right equipment available will negate compatibility issues and drastically reduce downtime. Backups should have multiple redundancies and be checked regularly to ensure proper function. To eliminate any chance of unauthorized access, it is important that your backups are not connected to the internet
Have a Plan
Make an outline of the specific actions to take if a ransomware attack should occur. Writing down where all necessary supplies are located, which members of your team are responsible for what and other details will help you navigate the situation with tact and efficiency.
