Birmingham Ransomware Prevention and Remediation Solutions

Ransomware has been weaponized by cyber extortionists and rogue governments, posing a potentially existential risk to companies that are successfully attacked. Modern strains of crypto-ransomware target everything, including backup, making even partial restoration a complex and costly process. Novel strains of crypto-ransomware like Ryuk, Maze, Sodinokibi, Mailto (aka Netwalker), Phobos, Snatch and Nephilim have emerged, displacing Locky, Cerber, and NotPetya in prominence, sophistication, and destructiveness.

90% of crypto-ransomware breaches come from innocuous-looking emails with dangerous hyperlinks or attachments, and many are so-called "zero-day" strains that can escape the defenses of traditional signature-matching antivirus (AV) tools. Although user education and frontline identification are important to defend your network against ransomware, leading practices dictate that you assume some malware will inevitably succeed and that you prepare a solid backup mechanism that permits you to restore files and services quickly with minimal damage.

Progent's ProSight Ransomware Vulnerability Checkup is a low-cost service centered around a remote discussion with a Progent cybersecurity consultant experienced in ransomware protection and recovery. In the course of this assessment Progent will collaborate directly with your Birmingham network managers to collect pertinent information concerning your security setup and backup environment. Progent will use this data to produce a Basic Security and Best Practices Report detailing how to apply leading practices for configuring and managing your security and backup systems to prevent or clean up after a ransomware assault.

Progent's Basic Security and Best Practices Report focuses on vital issues associated with ransomware defense and restoration recovery. The report addresses:

Security

• Correct use of administration accounts
• Correct NTFS (New Technology File System) and SMB (Server Message Block) permissions
• Optimal firewall setup
• Safe Remote Desktop Protocol access
• Guidance for AntiVirus (AV) filtering identification and deployment

• Split permission architecture for backup protection
• Backing up required servers such as AD
• Geographically dispersed backups with cloud backup to Azure

About Ransomware
Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts or deletes files so they cannot be used or are publicized. Ransomware often locks the target's computer. To avoid the damage, the target is required to send a certain ransom, typically via a crypto currency like Bitcoin, within a short time window. It is not guaranteed that delivering the ransom will recover the lost data or prevent its publication. Files can be encrypted or erased across a network depending on the victim's write permissions, and you cannot reverse engineer the strong encryption algorithms used on the hostage files. A common ransomware attack vector is spoofed email, whereby the victim is lured into interacting with by means of a social engineering technique called spear phishing. This causes the email to appear to come from a familiar source. Another common attack vector is a poorly protected Remote Desktop Protocol port.

The ransomware variant CryptoLocker opened the new age of crypto-ransomware in 2013, and the monetary losses attributed to by the many versions of ransomware is estimated at billions of dollars annually, more than doubling every two years. Notorious examples include Locky, and NotPetya. Current headline variants like Ryuk, Maze and CryptoWall are more complex and have caused more damage than older strains. Even if your backup processes allow your business to restore your ransomed files, you can still be threatened by so-called exfiltration, where stolen documents are exposed to the public. Because additional variants of ransomware are launched every day, there is no guarantee that traditional signature-based anti-virus tools will block the latest malware. If an attack does appear in an email, it is critical that your users have learned to identify phishing techniques. Your ultimate defense is a solid process for scheduling and retaining remote backups plus the deployment of reliable restoration platforms.

Ask Progent About the ProSight Crypto-Ransomware Vulnerability Consultation in Birmingham
For pricing information and to learn more about how Progent's ProSight Ransomware Vulnerability Consultation can bolster your protection against crypto-ransomware in Birmingham, call Progent at 800-462-8800 or see Contact Progent.