Ransomware protection

Ransomware has become a severe problem lately and has had an effect on thousands of different companies all over the world. The amount of attacks has increased almost ten times in the last few years, and people have become very unhappy with this. Ransomware attacks have become more sophisticated in the previous two years, and organizations cannot completely prevent these hackers from harming their systems. One of the examples is getting infected by malware that is looking for weak system backups and encrypts your data once it gets to it.

Organizations need to make specific preparations to prevent these cyber attacks. In doing so, protection technology for data, staff training, and backing up important information is critical. These things can reduce the risk of getting attacked by malware but not completely stop these attacks from happening because these ransomware attacks keep getting more sophisticated every day. Still, with the help of a security provider, you can minimize the risk of being attacked.

 

 

The best protection against mentioned attacks is to have the best backup solution, using the best strategies for backup. You should also ensure that your cloud backups are available and always protected. This means that backing up should be done frequently, and backup copies should be held elsewhere. Having a copy of all your data somewhere safe could be the thing that decides whether your company will survive the attack or fail.

The best strategies to prevent ransomware attacks

Choosing different credentials for backups

It goes without saying that it is more necessary than ever to use unique credentials to access backup storage because of the increased amount of ransomware attacks. Choosing new and unique credentials and using them solely for this task is recommended. It will minimize the risk of leaking your credentials and potentially endangering your company. It would be best if you didn’t share these credentials with anyone who doesn’t need to know them. Also, other security systems shouldn’t be allowed access to secure backup storage. Only accounts that can do the backup should be able to access your secure backup server.

You should choose secure and restricted accounts as much as possible instead of working as an administrator. Your security provider can make special accounts solely for this backing-up purpose, minimizing the risk of getting attacked.

Offline storage

Having offline storage might be the best defense against ransomware attacks since they can’t get into your network if your storage isn’t connected to any network. There are several types of semi-offline and offline storage you can choose, and we can help you decide which one will be the best for your purposes. Offline storage can be HDDs and SSDs. You can back up all your data on these devices that won’t be connected to the network. These types of storage are external and can provide outstanding protection from online attacks.

Backup copy job mechanism

This is an effective type of mechanism that will restore points created on various storage with advanced security rules. In the case of a ransomware attack, using a backup copy job will help you restore points and keep your organization operational.

It would be best if you didn’t rely on multiple file systems to keep your backup storage secure

Having several different protocols activated might be an excellent way to ensure you won’t run into ransomware attacks. Still, you should be aware that this won’t guarantee you will be safe from these attacks. Today’s viruses might not be able to attack one type of file, but there will be a new type of virus in the future that will possibly be able to. In other words, having different types of files won’t keep you 100% safe because there will come a time when the attackers create something so sophisticated that they can attack anything and everything. Instead, you should implement proper security. First of all, your backup storage needs to be restricted to most from accessing it. The best case scenario would be to have only one account that has access to the required files. There is no need to allow users from other systems to access the files they have no connection with. Some would get the idea of using different credentials for different files, but this could only increase the chances of an attack. Access to all types of files should be restricted, and only one service account should have complete access.

 

 

3-2-1-1 rule

This rule means that you should create three various copies of your data, keep them on two media, and keep one of the copies off-site. This method will prepare you for any possible scenario and ensure your organization can keep working. There is no unique technology behind this method. It is effortless yet so effective. We would also recommend you add one extra layer of protection by keeping a copy of your data on semi-offline or offline storage. Backing up your data to a hard drive or an SSD and keeping the copy under a lock will get your company back on its feet in a case of a ransomware attack.

Cloud storage can be considered semi-offline storage if you look at it from a backup perspective. Your data would be kept off-site and would require custom protocols and another authentication. Your security provider should be able to ensure that this storage can’t be damaged by attackers. If you opt for cloud storage, you will have to accept the possible risk of getting attacked if an intruder gains access to the network. This is an acceptable risk if you choose a good provider like TechProComp.

Using snapshots on backup storage

Storage snapshots can be helpful if you want to recover deleted files but can’t be considered backups in the true sense. These snapshots usually lack reporting and advanced retention management, and all the data stored on the system may be exposed to attackers. This couple compromises your primary data.

Make sure you can recover your data completely

Bare metal recovery is a type of data recovery that can be done in a few different ways. Most organizations restore data and user preferences after deploying standard image and provision software. All data is stored somewhere remote, and the system itself is not that important in most cases. However, this might not be the best way to restore your computer to the most recent point in time. Restoring your computer that is ransomware-encrypted to the most recent point when everything was working alright is a necessary part of a defense. You can apply the same measures to the virtualized system, but they usually have better options available.

How to maximize the protection?

Any organization can encounter ransomware attacks at any given time, so they should always be prepared for the worst-case scenario. We at TechProComp recommend following the data backup and recovery practice mentioned before to ensure the best possible protection as possible.

If you have any further questions about protecting your system from unwanted intruders, feel free to contact our support team and get the best protection available as soon as possible. You endanger your organization every day if you don’t utilize these safety measures.