The Impact of Ransom Attacks
We’ve shared many articles about ransomware viruses and their victims.
If you think this can’t happen to your business, you may face an expensive lesson.
On May 9th, 2016, a neighbor asked for help because his data was encrypted by ransomware. We’re now helping him restore his systems without paying the ransom, as the FBI advises.
How should your Organization Respond to Ransom Attacks?
Just as the US doesn’t negotiate with terrorists, the same applies to smaller-scale cyber-attacks.
Paying the ransom reinforces the success of criminal activities.
What should you do?
Contact the FBI and work with IT support to retrieve your data. Before becoming a victim, do the following:
- Prevention: Use awareness training and robust technical controls, including access controls, updated anti-malware tools, and locked-down admin accounts.
- Backup/restoration: Create “a solid business continuity plan” for dealing with a ransomware attack. Include backup up data, verifying backups’ integrity as well as ensuring backups aren’t connected to systems or networks that they’re backing up.
How OptfinITy Can Help
If you currently do not have an IT support provider or are not sure of their capabilities, contact us at Optfinity and we will do a free assessment for you to ensure your systems are properly set-up and protected. Don’t wait till after it happens like our neighbor! It will cost more and you run the risk of losing weeks, months, or even years of data!
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