Arlington Ransomware Defense and Remediation Solutions

Ransomware has been weaponized by cybercriminals and rogue governments, representing a possibly existential threat to companies that are victimized. The latest strains of ransomware target everything, including backup, making even partial restoration a challenging and expensive process. Novel variations of ransomware such as Ryuk, Maze, Sodinokibi, Mailto (aka Netwalker), Phobos, Snatch and Nephilim have made the headlines, displacing WannaCry, Spora, and CryptoWall in prominence, elaborateness, and destructive impact.

90% of crypto-ransomware breaches are caused by innocuous-looking emails with malicious hyperlinks or attachments, and a high percentage are "zero-day" strains that can escape detection by legacy signature-matching antivirus (AV) tools. While user education and up-front detection are important to defend against ransomware, leading practices demand that you expect that some malware will inevitably get through and that you put in place a strong backup solution that allows you to recover quickly with little if any losses.

Progent's ProSight Ransomware Preparedness Report is an ultra-affordable service built around a remote discussion with a Progent cybersecurity consultant experienced in ransomware protection and repair. In the course of this assessment Progent will cooperate directly with your Arlington network management staff to collect pertinent data concerning your cybersecurity setup and backup processes. Progent will utilize this information to create a Basic Security and Best Practices Assessment documenting how to follow best practices for configuring and administering your security and backup systems to block or clean up after a crypto-ransomware assault.

Progent's Basic Security and Best Practices Assessment highlights vital areas related to crypto-ransomware defense and restoration recovery. The report addresses:

Security

• Correct use of administration accounts
• Appropriate NTFS (New Technology File System) and SMB authorizations
• Optimal firewall setup
• Secure Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) connections
• Advice about AntiVirus (AV) filtering identification and deployment

• Split permission model for backup protection
• Backing up critical servers including Active Directory
• Offsite backups including cloud backup to Microsoft Azure

About Ransomware
Ransomware is a type of malicious software that encrypts or steals a victim's files so they cannot be used or are made publicly available. Crypto-ransomware sometimes locks the target's computer. To avoid the carnage, the victim is required to pay a specified ransom, typically in the form of a crypto currency like Bitcoin, within a short period of time. It is not guaranteed that paying the extortion price will recover 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 break the military-grade encryption algorithms used on the compromised files. A typical ransomware delivery package is booby-trapped email, in which the user is tricked into responding to by means of a social engineering technique called spear phishing. This makes the email message to appear to come from a familiar sender. Another common vulnerability is a poorly secured Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) port.

The ransomware variant CryptoLocker ushered in the modern era of crypto-ransomware in 2013, and the damage caused by different versions of ransomware is estimated at billions of dollars per year, more than doubling every two years. Notorious attacks include Locky, and NotPetya. Current high-profile threats like Ryuk, Sodinokibi and CryptoWall are more elaborate and have caused more damage than earlier versions. Even if your backup procedures allow you to restore your encrypted files, you can still be hurt by exfiltration, where ransomed documents are made public. Because new versions of ransomware are launched every day, there is no guarantee that conventional signature-matching anti-virus tools will block the latest attack. If threat does show up in an email, it is critical that your end users have learned to identify phishing techniques. Your ultimate defense is a solid process for scheduling and keeping remote backups and the deployment of dependable restoration platforms.

Contact Progent About the ProSight Ransomware Preparedness Audit in Arlington
For pricing information and to find out more about how Progent's ProSight Crypto-Ransomware Preparedness Evaluation can bolster your defense against crypto-ransomware in Arlington, call Progent at 800-462-8800 or visit Contact Progent.