Addison Ransomware Protection and Removal Consulting

Ransomware has become the weapon of choice for the major cyber-crime organizations and rogue governments, posing a potentially existential threat to companies that are successfully attacked. Current versions of ransomware target everything, including backup, making even selective recovery a complex and costly exercise. New versions of crypto-ransomware such as Ryuk, Maze, Sodinokibi, Netwalker, DopplePaymer, Snatch and Nephilim have made the headlines, replacing WannaCry, Spora, and NotPetya in notoriety, elaborateness, and destructive impact.

Most crypto-ransomware infections are caused by innocent-looking emails that include malicious hyperlinks or file attachments, and a high percentage are "zero-day" strains that can escape the defenses of traditional signature-based antivirus (AV) filters. Although user training and frontline detection are critical to protect your network against ransomware, best practices dictate that you assume some attacks will inevitably get through and that you implement a strong backup solution that allows you to restore files and services rapidly with minimal losses.

Progent's ProSight Ransomware Vulnerability Assessment is a low-cost service built around an online discussion with a Progent security expert experienced in ransomware protection and repair. In the course of this assessment Progent will collaborate with your Addison IT managers to gather critical information concerning your security setup and backup processes. Progent will use this data to generate a Basic Security and Best Practices Report detailing how to apply best practices for implementing and managing your security and backup solution to prevent or recover from a ransomware attack.

Progent's Basic Security and Best Practices Report highlights vital areas related to ransomware prevention and restoration recovery. The report covers:

Cybersecurity

• Proper allocation and use of admin accounts
• Appropriate NTFS (New Technology File System) and SMB authorizations
• Proper firewall setup
• Secure Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) access
• Recommend AntiVirus (AV) filtering selection and deployment

• Split permission model for backup protection
• Protecting required servers including AD
• Geographically dispersed backups including cloud backup to Microsoft Azure

About Ransomware
Ransomware is a variety of malicious software that encrypts or steals a victim's files so they cannot be used or are publicized. Ransomware often locks the target's computer. To avoid the damage, the victim is required to send a specified amount of money (the ransom), typically in the form of a crypto currency such as Bitcoin, within a short period of time. There is no guarantee that paying the extortion price will restore the lost files or prevent its publication. Files can be encrypted or erased throughout a network based on the target's write permissions, and you cannot reverse engineer the strong encryption algorithms used on the compromised files. A common ransomware delivery package is tainted email, whereby the target is tricked into responding to by a social engineering exploit known as spear phishing. This causes the email to appear to come from a familiar source. Another popular attack vector is a poorly secured RDP port.

CryptoLocker opened the modern era of ransomware in 2013, and the damage caused by the many versions of ransomware is said to be billions of dollars per year, more than doubling every other year. Famous attacks are WannaCry, and NotPetya. Current headline variants like Ryuk, Sodinokibi and Spora are more sophisticated and have wreaked more havoc than older versions. Even if your backup/recovery procedures allow your business to recover your encrypted files, you can still be threatened by exfiltration, where ransomed data are made public. Because additional variants of ransomware are launched every day, there is no guarantee that traditional signature-based anti-virus tools will block a new malware. If an attack does show up in an email, it is critical that your users have been taught to identify social engineering techniques. Your last line of defense is a solid process for performing and keeping offsite backups and the deployment of reliable recovery platforms.

Contact Progent About the ProSight Ransomware Preparedness Report in Addison
For pricing details and to find out more about how Progent's ProSight Crypto-Ransomware Susceptibility Report can enhance your protection against ransomware in Addison, phone Progent at 800-462-8800 or visit Contact Progent.