A new ransomware attack strikes every 14 seconds! Once it hits the target, it shuts down digital processes, steals information, and exploits businesses. The only way to escape and prevent these malicious attacks is through robust ransomware protection.
It includes a set of strategies, technologies, and tools that prevent cyber criminals from carrying out ransomware attacks. A good anti-ransomware solution saves you from getting into a terrible situation of paying exorbitant sums for the release of your data. This post will outline ransomware protection in more detail and how to create an effective plan to address it.
What Is Ransomware Protection?
Ransonware protection prevents the occurrence of a successful attack. It also inhibits a ransomware event from taking place. Today, ransomware threats have become a crime business. So, enterprises need to invest in solutions that provide ransomware protection.
This implies the safeguards that enterprises keep to avoid situations that involve the exposure of their private data. Some crucial parts of ransomware protection strategy include a SaaS-delivered backup solution or backup as a service or BaaS. A cloud-based method for ransomware protection offers a virtual airgap as data backup services don't demand physical network connections.
As a result, backup and restore processes are distinct and not exposed to ransomware attacks.
Creating a Successful Ransomware Protection Strategy
Being prepared in times of crisis will help you make more informed decisions. Don't forget that the more time you take to respond to an attack, the further you move from addressing it effectively. Here are some best practices that lay the foundation of an effective ransomware protection strategy.
- Investigate All Entry Points to Your Network
- Set up Regular Access Reviews
- Employ Data Loss Prevention Solution
- Teach Employees Good Cyber Hygiene
- Be Prepared for a Ransomware Attack to Succeed
Thoroughly examine all the entry points to your network beforehand. Review every application and service linked to your network. Remove unnecessary entry points while enhancing security for the necessary ones.
Today, your business data has become a lot more vulnerable. Employees access the information through home internet connections, which may not be very secure. Your business systems are also accessed by third-party vendors, which increases the network attack surface further.
That's why setting up regular access reviews is critical to ensure that people with appropriate permissions and privileges are accessing your services and applications.
Employing ransomware protection technology is a reliable way for successful recovery ahead. Your solution for data loss prevention should use the 3-2-1 backup rule. It means three copies of the data on two different media and one copy in the cloud.
Human error contributes significantly to cybersecurity breaches. Good cyber hygiene, when taught to employees, helps prevent ransomware attacks. Host training sessions to educate employees about spotting malicious attachments, faulty links, and suspicious emails.
Sometimes adequate knowledge isn't enough to prevent ransomware attacks. But if you know about the steps to take to stop and minimize the attack and facilitate recovery, it won't affect business continuity significantly.
You must inform crucial people about the attack so they can examine the damage and take steps to initiate your business continuity.
Key Components of a Ransomware Response Plan
Did you know it can take as many as 326 days to identify and contain a ransomware attack? If your IT resources have been attacked, it is time to address the situation. Here are five critical parts of a robust response plan for ransomware protection.
- Identify the trigger file: This is the first crucial step. Identify and eliminate any file you think might have led to the attack.
- Recognize the type of attack: You can take corrective actions for restoring data only when you know about the type of attack. A ransomware attack has two primary forms. They can be either screen-locking or encryption-based.
- Disconnect every vulnerable device: The next step in this process is to restrain or limit the effects of the attack. To do this effectively, disconnect every vulnerable device from your network. This will stop ransomware from attacking more of your IT resources.
- Understand the attack: Recovery from the attack can be possible through web-based software, depending on the kind of attack. So, understanding ransomware is crucial to addressing it. You can also decode the encrypted files with a ransomware encryption removal tool.
- Restore lost data: It is essential to restore as much data as possible. Although you can do that through backed-up data, it is necessary to exercise caution. Modern ransomware has long dwell times of upto six months. So, it's possible that there may be malware in your archival backups. That's why it is critical to carry out an antimalware package on all your systems.
Conclusion
Over half of small businesses affected by ransomware attacks turn unprofitable within 30 days. The best way to ensure ransomware protection is to prevent the attack before it happens. Xcitium's Enterprise Platform provides robust endpoint detection and response that's built on zero-trust architecture. The advanced auto-containment system protects your endpoints against ransomware and malware infections. Explore Xcitium's cybersecurity solutions to prevent and recover from ransomware attacks and keep your organization safe.
