Ransomware is still a threat to you
Without a doubt ransomware is one of the most serious cyber security issues an organisation faces (UK Government. 2022). Here is a recent story from the tech press, showing how organised and determined the gangs that operate these types of cyber attack are.
The Unrelenting Menace of the LockBit Ransomware Gang | WIRED UK
If you are still unconvinced then here is story describing the continuing fallout of a ransomware attack London’s Hackney Council suffered over two years ago.
The Untold Story of a Crippling Ransomware Attack | WIRED UK
Remember the council survives on money from the public purse, if this was your business who would be paying the bills?
What can I do about the ransomware threat?
Today I am going to look at only the first step every organisation needs to take to defend against ransomware – a ransomware resilient back-up.
I will mention two critical points here that a ransomware resilient back-up must have:
- Retention – a store of back-ups going back several days if not weeks as ransomware will be working in stealth mode for several days, encrypting your data before announcing the ransom demands.
- Be disconnected from the network as many ransomware attacks will seek out and encrypt any connected back-ups as well as your Word and Excel files.
For a full description of a ransomware resilient back-up, which you can compare your back-ups against, have a look at this document on Smart Thinking Solutions:
Ransomware Resilient Back-up – Smart Thinking Solutions
We have dealt with various ransomware attacks – for those using our back-up services, we were able to recover their information and get them back to work.
So what does the back-up not help with?
Ransomware that also steals your data and then threatens to expose it. But for an explanation of that you will need to read part 2.
Clive Catton MSc (Cyber Security) – by-line and other articles
References
UK Government. (2022). Cyber Security Breaches Survey 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2023, from https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/cyber-security-breaches-survey-2022/cyber-security-breaches-survey-2022
Further Reading
The Week in Ransomware – January 27th 2023 – ‘We hacked the hackers’ (bleepingcomputer.com)
Ransomware Mini-Series (2023)
Ransomware: Is it a Threat? (Part 1)
A Bag of Spanners – Planning and Preparation (Part 2)
Minimise the Damage – Planning and Preparation (Part 3)
Detecting Ransomware (Part 4)
