The Ultimate Defense Against Ransomware
Introduction
There is no doubt among security professionals that ransomware remains a massive threat to businesses of all sizes. Even big businesses, with their ability to spend millions of dollars annually on security, can’t stem the tide. Small-to-Medium Businesses (SMBs) are at an even bigger disadvantage; they don’t have massive budgets to harden their networks.
Ransom demands are getting larger. Remember when $300 was the average ransom? Now, it’s thousands of dollars corresponding to what hackers’ research says a victim can pay.
Today’s standard security solutions are no match for today’s ransomware, which can penetrate organizations in multiple ways. In Datto’s Ransomware Report, IT Professionals reported that most ransomware victims were already running antivirus software, email/SPAM filters, and pop-up blockers. They were still compromised.
Take a multilayered approach to security
Fact – currently, there is no single solution that is guaranteed to prevent ransomware attacks. However, multiple security layers do make it harder for hackers or malware to penetrate a company’s network.
The operative phrase in the above sentence is “make it harder.” Notice, it didn’t say impossible. That’s why organizations that want to protect their network against outside threats and disasters, including ransomware, should have the following in place:
- Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery Solution (BCDR)
- Employee training programs
- Operate workstations with limited user rights instead of admin privileges
- Assign data access based on a “least privilege” methodology
- Replacing unsupported systems (i.e., Windows XP, Windows 7 in 2020, etc.)
- Ongoing patch management program
- Antivirus and antimalware solutions
- Unified Threat Management Platform
- A written BCDR plan
The sad fact is that even with a multilayered defense, ransomware can still wreak havoc because the primary method of attack is phishing and, secondly, through malicious websites. Both modes are user-driven and rely on a person physically clicking a link, opening an attachment, accessing infected sites, etc.
Employ the ultimate defense against ransomware
As we have stated time and again, when disaster strikes, time is your chief enemy. Data is the lifeblood of business. Without it, you cannot operate. That is why criminals are holding it for ransom and demanding high payments. They know that if you cannot recover your data, you’ll be forced to pay the ransom or go out of business.
Fact – the ultimate defense against ransomware is a Hybrid-cloud Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery Solution (BCDR).
With a Hybrid-cloud BCDR system, you can be up and running within minutes after a ransomware attack. Total, quick recovery means no ransom payment.
A Hybrid-cloud BCDR system takes snapshots of an entire server, saves it to an onsite appliance, and simultaneously to two geographically dispersed data centers in the cloud. Each snapshot can be “spun up” into a virtual server in minutes.
Here’s how recovery works – With a BCDR in place, find the server image just before the attack, boot it up on your onsite appliance or from the cloud, connect your users to the virtual server, and you’re good to go. It’s that easy, effective, and quick. Recovery can often be measured in minutes to hours versus days to weeks with other types of backup systems.
Fact – the cost of a Hybrid-cloud BCDR system is less than you think and within the means of SMBs.
Businesses need a dedicated professional to ensure business continuity
SMBs often rely on a “computer savvy” staff member to handle their IT support and not an IT expert. If a company does not have a full, dedicated IT staff to monitor their network, they should be leveraging a Managed Services Provider (MSP), who has the time and resources to anticipate and protect a company’s IT infrastructure, harden its network and guard against catastrophic data loss and provide expert assistance in data recovery operations.
For those companies that do have an IT department, consider outsourcing your BCDR to a Managed Services Provider that specializes in Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery solutions that will work with your IT staff to manage, monitor, maintain, and support your BCDR solution and assist with recoveries when needed.
XSolutions is an Elite Partner of Datto, the world leader in Hybrid-Cloud Business Continuity solutions whose systems protect 460+ Petabytes of data with over 1400+ employees and 9 offices around the globe. Call (845) 362-9675 and let us introduce you to the ultimate defense against data loss—whatever the cause. Backup & Disaster Recovery | Business Continuity | Data Risk Assessment
