A lot has been said about ransomware and still I feel that this topic is a never-ending story. Each time I revisit the stats about the costs of a ransomware attack to businesses I am shocked. Why? Well, I have only just found out that in 2020 the cost of downtime was on average more than £4,300 per minute! Yes, you heard me right – per minute (Redstor, 2020)! Crazy! No, this is scary. There is more to that, late 2019 and all of 2020 were marked as an unprecedented rise in ransomware attacks and although about 60% of outbreaks were detected in the United States, Europe was the second largest target of the cyber-attacks with the UK leading, France and Germany following (Help Net Security, 2020). Therefore, the industry experts warn that it is just a matter of time before a business suffers a data breach in 2021.
So, while you may be thinking that your security defence is spot-on, it is actually easier to infect a business today than it was years ago! Ransomware attackers are using more creative techniques and traditional antivirus simply doesn’t do the whole job anymore.
Ransomware can spread in many ways and the most common five infection methods include email attachments, compromised webpages, malvertising, pirated software and infected removable hardware.
So what can you do? There is only one option!
You mustn’t put your head in the sand. This is too risky! You must have confidence your data is safe and the only way to do so is by safeguarding your business. Simply accept that breaches are inevitable and that you are never 100% secure.
First of all, answer these questions:
- What would it mean to lose your company data?
- How quickly can your business recover?
- What would be the impact on business users if they cannot access company data?
- What does it mean for loss of earnings?
- What does it mean for the company’s reputation?
Now that you have answered the above questions you are ready to act!
But what should you do?
You should remember that you need layers of security. Know that your employees often are your valued first line of defence so invest in training. Help staff spot links and attachments that could contain ransomware and offer training to familiarise your team with security policies, especially as more employees continue to work from home these days. We can help you with this!
But that’s not all! You must also invest in processes and have access to responsive and reliable technology. Antivirus software is an essential step and the choice should definitely be made from among the best available but it does not guarantee total, 100% protection. Other steps you should take include firewall protection, VPN software, endpoint protection, backups and more backups etc.
Why is backup not optional?
When it comes to ransomware, a backup with retention is your last line of defence. If you get hit by ransomware, then recovering the data from your backup is the quickest way to get your company back up and running. Talk to us we have a solution for you!
In a ransomware situation, time and knowing how you are going to respond if an incident happens are very important. We have a powerful tool that will scale depending on the size of your business and it will give you the edge if disaster strikes. Talk to me if you want to know more – 01522 797520 or kamila@octagontech.com.
Kamila (General Manager)
Ref:
- Redstor (2020) turtl-story-avoiding-ransomware-fallout.pdf
- Help Net Security (2020) The ransomware plague cost the world over $1 billion – Help Net Security
