TOP 6 RANSOMWARE DEFENSE STRATEGIES

1. Train your Users and Test their Knowledge
   Since ransomware infections often come through links and attachments inside emails, or from a website
   or web application, train your users how to recognize phishing attacks and suspicious links and
   attachments. Training is only part of the story. Admins must also make sure to regularly test their users
   with simulated phishing attacks to ensure that your users have been properly conditioned to resist these
   attacks.
2. Monitor your Network
   Diligently monitor your network by analyzing your logs, clearing out alerts, and processing potential
   threat feeds. If the infection is detected quickly and the workstation is disabled immediately, you can
   recover the data within 24 hours, and often in as quickly as five minutes. Organizations should constantly
   update the operating system and other software on their systems with the latest patches. Unpatched
   vulnerabilities in operating systems and software are a common entry point for malware.
3. Maintain Robust Backup and Disaster Recovery
   The ultimate safety net for ransomware defense is a robust data protection and disaster recovery
   solution. Implement a backup strategy that fully supports organizations with multiple types of data, files,
   and systems to protect. Not all solutions are created equal, but enterprise-grade backup and disaster
   recovery solutions preserve a complete version history, which is crucial to being able to recover from any
   attack. 
4. Commercial Grade Anti-Virus Protection
   The best way to steer clear of viruses and malware is to use an industry-leading anti-virus software
   solution. There are many types out there, and they don’t have to break the bank, but having a superior
   level of defense will go a long way. On your anti-virus software, enable the auto update, auto-protect, and
   personal firewall features to ensure you always have protection in the background that is continually
   updated.
5. Lock Down Suspicious Email Attachments
   Organizations may also want to install advanced email spam filtering which will block email messages
   with attachments from suspicious sources. Admins can filter executable attachments in emails based on
   the file extensions (e.g., block emails sent with “.EXE” attachments). Admins should also disable macros
   embedded within attachments and re-enable the display to full file extensions which makes it way easier
   to spot suspicious files
6. Have an Incident Response Plan
   How you’ve prepared will determine how quickly you are able to restore your company’s data and get
   systems functioning again. This starts with a well-designed plan that is understood by the entire team.
   Practice executing the plan to ensure you are able to get systems back online in the expected timeframe.
   The practice will also give your team the confidence to perform flawlessly when the need arises.

We have seen many examples of companies that have been infected by Ransomware and some that have lost all of their data, and a few that have been able to recover.  Those that recovered were lucky enough to have had a unattached backup copy somewhere.  It was a stale backup and 6 months old, but it was something.  A better answer to it would have been to adhered to the 6 defense strategies.

If you are in need of help getting your strategies in line, please give us a call at 702.430.1849.  You can also contact us by clicking here!