What is Ransomware?

Simply explained, ransomware is a form of malware that infects a computer system and encrypts the data of the victim. It either totally prevents access to the data or snatches it and threatens to reveal it. Criminals that use ransomware frequently threaten to reveal sensitive information unless a ransom is paid (usually in cryptocurrency).

The majority of ransomware attacks begin with a phishing or social engineering attempt. A compromised password, a malicious email attachment received by an unaware employee, or even incidental surfing of an infected website through a mobile device may all lead to a ransomware attack that encrypts files and all corporate data in minutes.

As we’ve seen recently, ransomware attacks have disrupted gas supply in the world’s largest economy, and a baby has allegedly died as a result of medical incompetence – all as a result of ransomware assaults. Malware and ransomware protection are not simply IT and security issues, but rather complicated commercial and governmental challenges.

What is Ransomware Protection?

So, what does ransomware protection entail? Ransomware prevention entails considering tools, techniques, and policies to prevent ransomware from ‘attacking’ a company in the first place.

Yes, anti-ransomware tools and anti-malware security technologies are required, but it goes much beyond. Business and human factors are also included in ransomware protection. Simple hygiene measures might go a long way toward safeguarding your company against ransomware threats.

As we all know, in the instance of the Colonial Pipeline attack, a single leaked password caused havoc on gas supplies throughout the East Coast of the United States, impacting not only Colonial Pipeline’s company but also the companies and everyday lives of many others.

The goal of ransomware prevention is to create a healthy cybersecurity environment in your company, where technology and people work together to reduce the likelihood of being attacked and the severity of the attack if it does happen.

Investing in a Ransomware Assessment completed by outside experts is a wonderful method to learn about your company’s risks and ransomware response capabilities. It’s also a good idea to have a robust and reliable Ransomware Response plan in place in case the worst happens.

Can you truly prevent Ransomware?

Nobody can claim to have figured out how to entirely avoid ransomware. However, there are a few ransomware prevention techniques that every company may do to come as close to stopping attacks as feasible.

The first and most important step is to educate your employees on ransomware attacks, ransomware prevention measures, and how to spot phishing emails and harmful files.

Key corporate leaders must be well-versed in their positions and responsibilities, as well as recognize the value of their privileged credentials.

More importantly, your employees and key decision-makers should be aware of and conversant with Ransomware Response Checklists so that the response becomes second nature to them. Business leaders will be able to make the appropriate judgments and think and act calmly despite the chaos if they regularly practice these checklists using Ransomware Tabletop Exercises – a vital part of ransomware defense.

There are a few more things your company can do to guarantee that it is safe against ransomware attacks:

1. Backups: Offline data backups are the most effective security you may have against ransomware offenders. Why? Because your data is protected if the ransomware virus cannot reach and encrypt data in backups. Keep in mind that the crucial term here is ‘offline.’ In other words, the backed-up data must not be connected to the Internet in any manner. To put it another way, if your backup system is unchangeable, you can nearly always recover and maintain business continuity. Because you’ll have a backup of your data, you won’t have to negotiate or pay if hackers demand money, and that’s half the battle won.

2. Stay Updated: Ensure that all of your browsers and software are up to date regularly. Even operating system upgrades for your mobile devices must be kept in mind. Give pop-ups and extensions no rights they don’t need. These can result in data theft and serve as entry points for infection into your computer networks.

3. Always Verify: It’s wonderful to hear that your company has invested in reliable backup systems. However, the efficacy and impenetrability of these backups must be checked regularly.

External audits and evaluations of high quality are a wonderful approach to objectively examine and test the viability of your IT infrastructure, as well as its ability to survive a ransomware assault.

When it comes to ransomware security, here are just a few suggestions to get you started. When it comes to developing anti-ransomware skills in your organization, there are a plethora of excellent materials to choose from.

Ransomware Checklists and preparedness processes will provide you with a rapid overview of what you can do to reach the degree of security needed to stop thieves in their tracks. It takes time and effort to become almost as secure as possible and to develop cyber resilience skills, but it’s not impossible with the appropriate guidance.

Here at CourseMonster, we know how hard it may be to find the right time and funds for training. We provide effective training programs that enable you to select the training option that best meets the demands of your company.

For more information, please get in touch with one of our course advisers today or contact us at training@coursemonster.com