Ransomware Hot Line: 800-462-8800
24x7 Online Help from a Senior Ransomware Consultant
Ransomware needs time to work its way through a target network. For this reason, ransomware attacks are commonly launched on weekends and late at night, when support staff may be slower to recognize a break-in and are least able to mount a rapid and coordinated response. The more lateral progress ransomware is able to manage within a target's network, the more time it will require to recover basic operations and scrambled files and the more data can be exfiltrated to the dark web.
Progent's Ransomware Hot Line is intended to guide organizations to complete the urgent first step in mitigating a ransomware attack by containing the malware. Progent's online ransomware engineers can help businesses in the Anchorage area to locate and quarantine infected devices and guard undamaged assets from being penetrated.
If your network has been penetrated by any version of ransomware, don't panic. Get help quickly by calling Progent's Ransomware Hot Line at 800-462-8800.
Progent's Ransomware Response Services Available in Anchorage
Modern variants of crypto-ransomware such as Ryuk, Maze, Netwalker, and Nephilim encrypt online data and attack any accessible system restores. Files synchronized to the cloud can also be impacted. For a poorly defended environment, this can make system recovery nearly impossible and effectively knocks the datacenter back to the beginning. So-called Threat Actors (TAs), the cybercriminals behind a ransomware assault, demand a ransom fee for the decryption tools needed to unlock encrypted data. Ransomware attacks also try to exfiltrate information and hackers require an additional ransom in exchange for not publishing this data or selling it. Even if you can rollback your system to a tolerable point in time, exfiltration can pose a big issue depending on the nature of the stolen data.
The restoration process subsequent to ransomware breach has several distinct stages, most of which can be performed concurrently if the response team has enough people with the required experience.
- Quarantine: This time-critical first response involves blocking the sideways progress of the attack within your IT system. The longer a ransomware assault is allowed to go unchecked, the more complex and more expensive the recovery process. Because of this, Progent keeps a 24x7 Ransomware Hotline staffed by veteran ransomware response experts. Quarantine processes include cutting off infected endpoint devices from the rest of network to block the spread, documenting the environment, and securing entry points.
- System continuity: This involves bringing back the IT system to a basic useful level of capability with the shortest possible downtime. This effort is usually the top priority for the targets of the ransomware assault, who often see it as a life-or-death issue for their company. This project also demands the widest array of IT abilities that cover domain controllers, DHCP servers, physical and virtual servers, desktops, laptops and smart phones, databases, office and line-of-business apps, network topology, and protected endpoint access management. Progent's recovery experts use advanced workgroup tools to coordinate the complex recovery effort. Progent appreciates the importance of working rapidly, tirelessly, and in unison with a client's managers and network support staff to prioritize activity and to get vital services on line again as quickly as possible.
- Data restoration: The effort required to restore files impacted by a ransomware attack depends on the condition of the systems, the number of files that are affected, and what restore techniques are required. Ransomware assaults can take down pivotal databases which, if not gracefully shut down, may have to be rebuilt from the beginning. This can include DNS and Active Directory databases. Microsoft Exchange and SQL Server rely on AD, and many manufacturing and other mission-critical platforms are powered by Microsoft SQL Server. Often some detective work may be needed to find clean data. For instance, undamaged OST files (Outlook Email Offline Folder Files) may have survived on staff desktop computers and laptops that were not connected during the ransomware attack. Progent's ProSight Data Protection Services offer Altaro VM Backup technology to defend against ransomware attacks via Immutable Cloud Storage. This produces tamper-proof data that cannot be modified by anyone including administrators.
- Deploying modern antivirus/ransomware protection: ProSight ASM uses SentinelOne's behavioral analysis technology to offer small and medium-sized businesses the benefits of the same AV technology used by many of the world's largest corporations including Netflix, Visa, and NASDAQ. By delivering real-time malware blocking, detection, containment, repair and analysis in one integrated platform, ProSight Active Security Monitoring cuts TCO, streamlines management, and expedites operational continuity. SentinelOne's next-generation endpoint protection engine incorporated in ProSight Active Security Monitoring was listed by Gartner Group as the "most visionary Endpoint Protection Platform." Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, dealer, and integrator. Find out about Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring next-generation endpoint protection and ransomware recovery with SentinelOne technology.
- Negotiating a settlement with the threat actor (TA): Progent is experienced in negotiating settlements with hackers. This requires working closely with the victim and the cyber insurance provider, if any. Activities include establishing the type of ransomware involved in the attack; identifying and making contact with the hacker persona; verifying decryption tool; budgeting a settlement amount with the ransomware victim and the insurance provider; establishing a settlement and schedule with the TA; checking compliance with anti-money laundering regulations; carrying out the crypto-currency payment to the TA; receiving, reviewing, and operating the decryption tool; debugging decryption problems; creating a pristine environment; remapping and reconnecting drives to reflect exactly their pre-attack condition; and restoring physical and virtual devices and software services.
- Forensic analysis: This process involves learning the ransomware assault's progress throughout the targeted network from beginning to end. This history of the way a ransomware assault travelled within the network assists you to evaluate the impact and uncovers shortcomings in rules or work habits that need to be rectified to prevent later break-ins. Forensics entails the examination of all logs, registry, Group Policy Object (GPO), AD, DNS, routers, firewalls, schedulers, and core Windows systems to detect anomalies. Forensics is commonly assigned a high priority by the insurance provider. Because forensics can be time consuming, it is critical that other important recovery processes such as business continuity are executed in parallel. Progent has an extensive roster of information technology and data security experts with the knowledge and experience needed to carry out activities for containment, operational continuity, and data recovery without disrupting forensics.
Progent's Background
Progent has provided online and on-premises IT services across the United States for more than two decades and has earned Microsoft's Gold Partner designation in the Datacenter and Cloud Productivity competencies. Progent's roster of subject matter experts (SMEs) includes professionals who have earned high-level certifications in foundation technologies such as Cisco networking, VMware virtualization, and major Linux distros. Progent's data security consultants have earned internationally recognized certifications such as CISM, CISSP-ISSAP, GIAC, and CMMC 2.0. (See Progent's certifications). Progent also offers guidance in financial management and ERP applications. This breadth of skills allows Progent to identify and consolidate the undamaged pieces of your IT environment after a ransomware attack and rebuild them rapidly into a viable network. Progent has collaborated with top cyber insurance providers including Chubb to help businesses clean up after ransomware attacks.
Contact Progent for Ransomware System Recovery Consulting in Anchorage
For ransomware system restoration consulting in the Anchorage metro area, phone Progent at 800-462-8800 or go to Contact Progent.