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Ransomware and enterprise data protection
As digital interactions have become an integral part of our lives, the threat of ransomware is growing. Ransomware is a type of malware attack where an attacker gets hold of a computer system or network, usually targeting enterprise data, and encrypts the data or files. Cyberattackers then demand a ransom be paid to regain access. With the growing dependence of enterprises and individuals on digital platforms, safeguarding against ransomware has become a vital necessity to ensure the uninterrupted functioning of every enterprise.
Why ransomware protection is more critical than ever?
Ransomware has evolved into one of the most disruptive cyberthreats over time, and the frequency of these attacks has increased drastically.
According to Cybercrime Magazine, it is predicted that by 2031, ransomware will attack a business, consumer, or device every two seconds and can approximately cost $265 billion annually.
The disruptive potential of ransomware cannot be underestimated. These attacks can lead to significant downtime by restricting access to an enterprise's systems and data. The longer the downtime, the greater the impact it has on the productivity, customer satisfaction, and the overall functioning of the enterprise. A single successful ransomware attack can trigger a chain of events affecting several interconnected systems, which makes robust ransomware protection even more important.
Enterprises must take proactive ransomware protection measures, as cybercriminals develop more sophisticated methods for executing ransomware attacks. This not only includes safeguarding against existing attack methods, but also being prepared for future strategies that cybercriminals might use.
In addition to blocking access to systems and encrypting data, some ransomware attacks can also lead to data breaches, where attackers steal an enterprise's sensitive data and expose it to unauthorized parties. This may lead to financial penalties and loss of customer trust.
- Protect against ransomware
- Challenges of Ransomware
How to protect against ransomware
The best way to protect against ransomware is to avoid it in the first place. These are a few measures that organizations can follow to protect their computers and networks from ransomware:
- Avoid phishing attempts: A ransomware attack often infiltrates a system when a user clicks on malicious email attachments or links. Enabling web and email filtering in every enterprise serves as an effective preventative measure against ransomware.
- Install antivirus: Use antivirus or antimalware to detect and remove malware from computers and networks.
- Use firewalls: Firewalls scan the incoming traffic of an enterprise and examine it for any malware, preventing it from entering the network.
- Educate employees: Most employees are interconnected through an organization's network, if one system is affected by ransomware and left unnoticed, it might affect every system. This might lead to a huge loss for the organization. So, educating employees about phishing and ransomware attacks is essential in an enterprise environment.
The threat of ransomware attacks cannot be eliminated completely by even the best security products and preventive methods. Utilizing a backup system is the only way to ensure your data is not held for ransom. If the backup of the data is available and stored securely, the victim can delete the data from the live environment and recover it from the backup, all without having to pay the ransom. It is ideal to have multiple copies of the backed up data in different storage locations, which will come in handy if a backup is compromised.
Challenges of Ransomware
There are numerous challenges a ransomware attack imposes on a victim. A few of them include:
- Data loss: A ransomware attack's motive is to encrypt critical enterprise data, which leads to loss of functioning and organizational downtime.
- Financial loss: Enterprises have to bear the cost of fixing the infected systems, the lost enterprise data, and the cost of recovering the data after a ransomware attack. In a few cases, they might have to pay the ransom the attacker demands in order to regain access to their systems, with little guarantee of receiving the data.
- Loss of customer trust: Once an organization is affected by ransomware, it puts the customers' sensitive data and other important data at stake. This makes customers lose trust in the organization to keep their data secure.
- Loss of productivity: After a ransomware attack, valuable time is spent on reconfiguring affected systems, recovering data, and fixing the vulnerability that led to the attack. This time could have been spent on the enterprise's development and improvement.
Features of ManageEngine's Recovery Manager Plus for Ransomware Protection
ManageEngine's RecoveryManager Plus is an enterprise backup and restoration tool that facilitates the backing up of your data and enables you to restore it whenever needed. It offers a wide range of features that helps protect enterprise data from ransomware attacks.
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RecoveryManager Plus lets you backup and restore Active Directory, Azure Active Directory, Microsoft 365, Google Workspace, and Exchange environments.
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RecoveryManager Plus facilitates the process of backing up enterprise data by providing periodic full backups and incremental backups to ensure the latest version of the data is available for recovery.
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It also allows the organization to automate the backups at regularly scheduled intervals. This reduces manual intervention and limits human errors in failing to back up any data.
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RecoveryManager Plus expedites the data restoration process, reducing downtime during any cyberattacks, like ransomware. It allows the organization to restore all of its data or portions of it based on their requirements.
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RecoveryManager Plus allows organizations to set retention periods for the backed up data, making it easy for organizations that have a requirement to retain the backed up data for legal purposes.
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Additionally, RecoveryManager Plus also provides you with the option to store the backed up data in a safe and secure location on the cloud or in local storage.
Resources
FAQs
What is ransomware?
Ransomware is a type of malware attack that involves an attacker infiltrating a victim's computer system, encrypting essential data or files, and demanding a ransom be paid to regain access.
How does ransomware infect a computer or network?
In a ransomware attack, the attacker gets access to your computer or network. This is usually executed through a phishing attack, where the victim might click on a suspicious link that was sent through email. Clicking on this downloads ransomware onto the victim's computer, thereby giving the attacker access to the computer.
Once the attacker gains access to the computer, the malware typically encrypts all the files on the computer. Afterward, instructions will be displayed on the victim's desktop mentioning the required ransom to be paid. The victim will have to pay the ransom to gain back access to the computer, or if a backup of the data was taken, the victim can delete the data and use the backup.
What are the common signs of a ransomware attack?
The most common signs of a ransomware attack include:
- Inability to access files: You might suddenly find that you are unable to open or access your files.
- Ransom message: Attackers in a ransomware attack usually leave a message on the victim's computer providing instructions on how to pay the ransom that is displayed.
- Increased network traffic: You might observe a sudden increase in outbound traffic where the attacker might have already gained access to a victim's system and is communicating with their servers.
- Unusual activity: You might notice unusual activities, such as numerous files being encrypted.
- Denied access: You might be denied access to your computer.
How can I protect my computer or network from ransomware?
- By avoiding phishing emails.
- By backing up important data regularly.
- By using antivirus or antimalware software.
- By ensuring tight network and email security.
- User awareness training.
What are some best practices for ransomware prevention?
A few of the best practices for ransomware prevention are:
- Maintaining regular backups of data, which will prevent the victim from paying a huge ransom.
- Email filtering will ensure that users will not receive unintended or malicious mails leading to unsuccessful phishing attacks.
- Setting up a firewall to make sure malicious mails won't reach users in the first place.
- Whitelisting applications will allow you to block potentially harmful software installations while permitting only those that are deemed safe.
- Educate users about phishing and ransomware attacks.
What should I do if my computer or network is infected with ransomware?
- Disconnect: Disconnect the affected computer from power and isolate it from the network immediately.
- Remove the malware: Reboot the system and scan the computer for malware.
- Install an antivirus: Clean the affected computer using antimalware software.
- Determine the data loss: Assess the damage and determine which files are affected.
- Backup and recovery options: Access backup options, and if a backup exists, decide on the recovery strategy.
- Alternative approach: Remove all traces of the ransomware and build systems from scratch.
- Improve security: Use email filtering, firewalls, application whitelisting, and harden the security measures.
Are there any specific tools or software that can help in ransomware protection?
Backup and recovery tools, email filtering tools, network security tools, data protection solutions that comprise incremental backups, granular and full restoration, cloud backups, and automatic backup features can help withstand the effects of ransomware.
RecoveryManager Plus is a solution—with these protections—that can help you recover from a ransomware attack.
Should I pay the ransom if my files are encrypted by ransomware?
It is not advisable to pay the ransom demanded by the attackers because there is no guarantee that they will provide you with the decryption key to decrypt your files. Most of the time, attackers ignore the victim once they receive the demanded ransom. This leaves the victim with both encrypted files and a financial loss. Moreover, if the attackers see that the victim is willing to pay the ransom, they might be targeted again.
Can antivirus software alone protect against ransomware?
Antivirus software safeguards computers and networks from a wide range of threats, including ransomware. Its ability to detect and block known malware and viruses acts as an initial layer of defense against potential ransomware attacks. However, it is not sufficient on its own. Ransomware has evolved with advanced techniques that involve much more critical and dangerous malware. These antiviruses cannot identify the new ransomware types. Hence, to fully protect your computer and networks, following additional security measures like email filtering, backing up data, and regularly updating your computers is essential.
How often should I back up my data to protect against ransomware?
Regular and consistent backups are crucial to effectively protect your data against ransomware. It is optimal to perform full backups at regular intervals (probably every week), while also performing incremental backups on a daily basis. This ensures the backups are in the most recent state with the latest changes. Automating the backup process will reduce manual effort and also ensure that no data is inadvertently left unbacked.