Ransomware attacks are becoming more and more frequent; just last year alone, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) fielded 2,474 ransomware-related complaints.
No company is immune from cyber attacks, but there are various strategies enterprises can employ to defend their infrastructure, respond efficiently, and recover quickly after an attack occurs. This article covers seven proactive measures designed to ward off ransomware. With the right server monitoring solutions in place, businesses can be better protected from online threats and more efficiently address malicious events when they do occur.
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Install a Ransomware Protection Solution
For optimal ransomware protection, the ideal solution should offer comprehensive cybersecurity and data protection features. Doing this will deter attacks while mitigating damage should an attack happen.
Remove infected devices from wireless networks, such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, in order to stop further infections and limit how much data may be compromised by any potential malware infections. This step may also help limit what can be compromised by this malware threat.
Unitrends backup appliances feature predictive analytics to detect file changes that could indicate ransomware attacks and provide you with the opportunity to avoid paying a ransom by recovering back to a point prior to corrupting of files.
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Install a Server Monitoring Solution
An effective server monitoring solution provides you with the means to track the health and status of your servers, providing important information, while potentially helping prevent cybersecurity threats or data loss.
Acknowledging and stopping ransomware attacks is paramount to protecting your business. Take proactive measures against ransomware attacks with this guide on how to do just that.
Apply a zero trust strategy to secure the entire organization. Take advantage of over 800TB of threat activity and reputation data insights.
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Back Up Your Data
Data backup is one of the best ways to protect the most crucial pieces of information – be it vacation photos, songs on your computer or receipts from last month’s taxes – from being lost forever.
Backups can also come to the rescue if your company is hit by ransomware. Varonis offers you an effective solution for quickly identifying and isolating infected devices by using identity-centric context and correlating threat activity with backup files.
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Install a Firewall
Utilizing firewalls can prevent an attacker from accessing an internal network by restricting or blocking unauthorized remote desktop protocol (RDP) usage, which is frequently employed in system attacks. Blocking user-level command-line capabilities and protecting Transmission Control Protocol port 445 also helps limit attack surface.
Educate Your Personnel
Many cyber attacks begin when an employee accidentally clicks on a malicious link or virus-laden attachment from an email. Provide cybersecurity awareness training regularly to remind employees not to click unknown links or download unknown attachments from emails.
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Install a VPN
VPNs create a secure link between your systems and the internet, helping prevent hackers from infiltrating and accessing your network and stealing sensitive data.
Maintaining up-to-date operating systems can also help ward off ransomware attacks. Software providers regularly release patches that patch vulnerabilities cybercriminals exploit, so setting your operating system to automatically install updates could prevent unauthorized systems from accessing your network.
Use least privilege policies to restrict which files users on your network can access, helping prevent ransomware from quickly spreading across your system once an infected file has been encrypted.
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Install a Virus Scanner
Modern ransomware variants typically hide within registry files and startup services, making re-infection more likely than not. Therefore, it is crucial that an antiviral scanner detect these worms while being capable of scanning all devices and systems simultaneously.
Online virus scanners may help, but they should never replace an effective security solution. Many malware strains are adept at evading signature detection or can only be identified using behavioral analysis.
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Install Antivirus Software
Antivirus software helps safeguard your computer or laptop against malware and viruses that could threaten its integrity, by scanning for suspicious files and links as well as providing a sandbox environment to test programs before downloading.
Cybercriminals employ malware as a weapon to steal data and make money. Ransomware encrypts files before demanding payment to unlock them; other types, like trojans and spyware, collect personal information.
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Install a Backup Solution
An effective backup solution is essential in protecting against ransomware attacks, so ensure yours are stored offline or physically away to ensure they can’t be breached by criminals.
Retain your backups unchangeable with modern storage solutions that feature Write-Once-Read-Many (WORM) technology. WORM technology ensures that backup files don’t get altered during recovery, and allows for faster file restoration with just a single backup file instead of multiple copies needed before.
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Install a Firewall
Ransomware often enters networks through exploiting software vulnerabilities. Implementing best practices such as regularly installing patched systems and closing off unnecessary entry points can greatly decrease the number of vulnerabilities within your system and protect it against ransomware attacks.
Cybersecurity awareness training is equally essential, to ensure employees understand to only click trusted links or open secure attachments, and if infected devices need to be disconnected from wireless connections (Wi-Fi/Bluetooth).
