Businesses and organizations of all sizes have been impacted in recent years by ransomware attacks and other types of cybercrime activities. Companies spend billions of dollars each year to boost security against these types of attacks, ramping up firewalls, anti-virus programs, anti-malware software, and anything else that they think might protect their essential data. However, one of the best tools in your arsenal lies directly with employee education and support. The more that you and your team can learn about ransomware attacks and how they work, the easier it is to prevent them from happening in the first place. A solid backup and recovery plan is a must, as well as managed secure firewall and network security services, but it pays to invest in education and training programs if you want to avoid the accidental download of a malicious software package.
Small Business, Healthcare, and Education
These seem to be the primary targets of cybercriminals when it comes to ransomware attacks. You might think that only big and well-known company names would be at the top of the list, but these are the current targets of today’s computer hackers. Whatever their goals – politics, fame, or financial gain – it pays to take the time to prepare for such an attack rather than scrambling to recover or being forced to pay the ransom to get your essential data back. Don’t overlook the power of a comprehensive monitoring and management solution, as well as managed secure firewall, network security, and anti-virus and anti-malware programs – they can do a lot to increase the layers of security for your data. Employee education and support is another must-have service that will help to prevent a lot of different types of attacks that prey on unsuspecting victims.
Phishing, spear phishing, and other types of cyberattacks all count on an individual at your organization to click on a link, reply to an email, or download a file in order to transfer a malicious software package to your network. These attacks have been around for a long time, but people still fall victim to them every day. They are used to gather all sorts of data, including login credentials, customer information, or financial and payment details, to steal money or essential information for financial gain. Many attacks have become extremely sophisticated, which allows them to sometimes even fool users that have a lot of experience and education in this area. Backing up your data, educating your team, and doing all you can for network security will help to reduce the chances that your business will be successfully attacked.
What is Ransomware?
In the simplest of terms, ransomware is a malicious software package that is used to block the organization’s access to their computer system until a sum of money is paid for its return. While the access is blocked, a business cannot make sales, access customer files, or get any data from their system that is being held hostage. Ransomware attacks typically occur by sending a company employee an email or web link. Once the link is clicked, the email opened, or the file downloaded, the software package is downloaded and executed on the user’s computer. The software is used to lock down access to all files or folders on the computer through the use of an advanced algorithm. Once a system is infected, the only way to get those files and folders back is via a local backup or cloud system backup. If you don’t have a backup plan and strategy in place, you could lose access to all of your data.
The cost associated with a successful ransomware attack can vary, depending on the goal of the cybercriminal and the extent of the damage. Studies show that the average cost due to lost productivity plus break/fix support can be more than $750 per device. It can take days to get a system back in operation, meaning lost sales and opportunities, plus increased downtime if the infection spreads to all of the machines in the network. Ransomware protection services are available through Synivate and, along with employee education and support, can give you the tools necessary to filter out and block malicious emails, servers, and web links, prevent cross-spreading of infections, block known viruses and trojans, prevent malware from running, and ensure that you and your team are prepared for social engineering and phishing attacks. Contact our team today at 617-848-1248 to learn more about using a managed secure firewall, network security, and prevention for ransomware attacks.