Bakersfield Ransomware Protection and Removal Expertise

Ransomware has been widely adopted by cybercriminals and malicious states, representing a possibly existential risk to businesses that fall victim. Current strains of crypto-ransomware target everything, including online backup, making even selective recovery a long and costly exercise. New strains of crypto-ransomware such as Ryuk, Maze, Sodinokibi, Mailto (aka Netwalker), Phobos, Snatch and Egregor have made the headlines, displacing WannaCry, TeslaCrypt, and CryptoWall in notoriety, sophistication, and destructiveness.

Most crypto-ransomware penetrations are caused by innocuous-seeming emails that include malicious links or file attachments, and a high percentage are "zero-day" strains that elude the defenses of traditional signature-matching antivirus (AV) filters. Although user education and up-front detection are important to protect against ransomware, leading practices demand that you take for granted some attacks will inevitably get through and that you deploy a strong backup mechanism that allows you to recover quickly with little if any losses.

Progent's ProSight Ransomware Preparedness Checkup is a low-cost service built around a remote discussion with a Progent security consultant skilled in ransomware defense and recovery. During this assessment Progent will cooperate with your Bakersfield network management staff to collect critical data concerning your security posture and backup environment. Progent will utilize this information to generate a Basic Security and Best Practices Assessment detailing how to apply leading practices for configuring and administering your cybersecurity and backup systems to block or clean up after a crypto-ransomware attack.

Progent's Basic Security and Best Practices Assessment focuses on key areas related to ransomware prevention and restoration recovery. The report addresses:

Cybersecurity

• Correct use of admin accounts
• Appropriate NTFS (New Technology File System) and SMB permissions
• Proper firewall configuration
• Secure Remote Desktop Protocol connections
• Guidance for AntiVirus tools selection and configuration

• Split permission architecture for backup integrity
• Protecting critical servers including AD
• Offsite backups including cloud backup to Azure

About Ransomware
Ransomware is a variety of malware that encrypts or deletes a victim's files so they cannot be used or are publicized. Crypto-ransomware often locks the target's computer. To prevent the damage, the target is asked to pay a specified ransom, usually via a crypto currency like Bitcoin, within a short time window. It is never certain that delivering the ransom will restore the damaged data or avoid its publication. Files can be altered or deleted throughout a network based on the victim's write permissions, and you cannot break the strong encryption algorithms used on the compromised files. A typical ransomware attack vector is tainted email, in which the user is lured into responding to by a social engineering technique known as spear phishing. This makes the email to look as though it came from a familiar source. Another popular vulnerability is an improperly protected Remote Desktop Protocol port.

CryptoLocker opened the modern era of crypto-ransomware in 2013, and the damage caused by the many versions of ransomware is estimated at billions of dollars per year, roughly doubling every other year. Notorious attacks include WannaCry, and Petya. Recent headline variants like Ryuk, DoppelPaymer and Spora are more complex and have caused more damage than older strains. Even if your backup/recovery processes allow your business to restore your ransomed files, you can still be hurt by so-called exfiltration, where ransomed documents are exposed to the public (known as "doxxing"). Because new variants of ransomware crop up every day, there is no guarantee that conventional signature-based anti-virus filters will block a new malware. If threat does show up in an email, it is important that your users have been taught to be aware of phishing tricks. Your ultimate protection is a sound scheme for scheduling and keeping offsite backups plus the use of dependable restoration platforms.

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