Even Larger Corporations Are Vulnerable

Within the last few weeks, sources are reporting that Honda, Garmin, and now Canon have been hit and taken down by Ransomware attacks. This increasing threat is crippling organizations of every size every day, and it’s only getting worse. “Cybercrime is the greatest threat to every company in the world.” (Source: IBM’s chairman, president, and CEO)

4.57 billion people (Billion with a B) were active internet users as of July 2020, making the online realm a virtual “candy store” for cybercriminals to find their next target. “There is a hacker attack every 39 seconds” (Source: Security magazine)

As you may be aware, ransomware is constantly evolving, with more sophisticated behaviors on the rise and even though it is well known that emails are the main infection method for all types of cyber-attacks, people are still falling victim to malicious socially engineered plots and are still being tricked into downloading an attachment from a seemingly trustworthy source or clicking a link that looks legitimate and inadvertently infecting their whole systems with perilous ransomware. (we all know someone who has done it…)

A ransomware attack can be devastating for any business. Sensitive, valuable, and irreplaceable files and information can be lost or compromised, and it takes hundreds of hours of support to get rid of an infection and get your system online and working again. Are you confident that you are effectively protected from or prepared for a cyber-attack? Do you have an active recovery plan in place? “66% of businesses attacked by hackers weren’t confident they could recover.” (Source: Fortune)

It’s clear to us that the best way to respond to a ransomware attack is to avoid having one in the first place… Duh… So, with good planning and smart practices, you can avoid ransomware from affecting your system with a few proactive measures for preventing an attack:

• Use antivirus and anti-spam solutions Enable regular system and network scans and implement an anti-spam solution to stop phishing emails from reaching the network and consider deploying security software to protect endpoints, email servers, and network systems from infection.
• Having a data backup routine and recovery policy is by far as the most effective solution to respond to a ransomware attack. Conducting frequent, comprehensive backups of all vital files with an offsite backup procedure will isolate them from local networks and prevent it from being accessed by the ransomware.
• Making sure you are regularly installing the latest security updates issued by your software and application vendors to prevent access through known vulnerabilities in operating systems, browsers, and web plugins.
• Restrict admin rights for users who don’t fully require them, set users to the lowest system permissions they fundamentally need to do their work, turn off unneeded network shares, and restrict write permissions on file servers.
• Secure your wireless network, make sure your router offers WPA2 or WPA3 encryption to maintain the highest level of privacy of information sent via your network and turning off and updating the default name and password the router came with from the manufacturer, turning off remote management, and logging out as the administrator once it’s set up.
• Develop a cyber hygiene strategy that should include an incident response plan for what to do during a ransomware event. Stay Vigilant, every person must play a role in helping keep your network secure. Educate yourself and your employees to think proactively about cybersecurity threats and how to follow best practices to resist cyber threats and online security issues will keep malware out of your systems. 

 The easiest way to stay ahead of the chaos is to engage a managed service provider to leverage the multiple layers of advanced tools and services, tailored to meet your organization’s needs to safeguard your system against evolving threats behind the scenes.

Braver Technology is a premier cybersecurity and compliance provider dedicated to helping organizations achieve risk-management success. With a unique blend of software-based automation and managed services. Our team of IT security experts can help improve your cyber hygiene with a range of leading solutions. For more information about cyber hygiene and our portfolio of managed cybersecurity services, contact us today at 508-824-2260 or wemakeitwork@bravertechnology.com. 

Don’t wait until you have been taken hostage to get things on track!