Ransomware has been in the news a lot these last few weeks. Victims of ransomware have their systems hacked and their data locked, held “ransom” until a payment is made. Colonial Pipeline, JBS, Sol Oriens, Fujifilm – in the last few weeks, all these companies and more have made headlines for falling victim to ransomware attacks. While these are all “big fish” who make the news, businesses of all sizes are targeted in ransomware attacks. The important question to ask is: how can you prevent your business from becoming another victim?
The first thing to consider is security. Keeping systems updated ensures the latest vulnerabilities are patched. Account security is equally important. Companies should use different credentials for the various systems in a network. In the case of Colonial Pipeline, a single password was all that was needed to lock their entire system. It is also important to make sure that employees do not have administrative access, so that in the event of a password compromise, the hackers do not have the “keys to the kingdom.”
The next thing to look at is prevention. Ransomware attacks are often the result of phishing schemes that grant a hacker access to a network. They also can utilize malicious email attachments to infect company PCs. By employing robust email security and spam filtering, businesses can help filter out most hackers’ attempts at gaining access to the network. Multi-factor authentication also helps ensure that only authorized employees are using their accounts.
Finally, mitigation. In the worst-case scenario where a hacker manages to deploy ransomware on a company’s network, it is crucial to have comprehensive backups. A robust backup strategy ensures that even in the event of disaster, all company data can be easily restored. This is exactly what Fujifilm did when they were recently attacked with ransomware. They refused to pay the ransom, and instead restored their environment from backups.
At Layered Systems, we take security seriously. We know the threat ransomware poses to your business, and we have the tools to protect your business from such threats. Contact Us today to learn more about how Layered Systems can help secure your company’s network.
