Birmingham Ransomware Filtering and Restoration Services

Ransomware has become the weapon of choice for cyber extortionists and bad-actor governments, representing a possibly lethal threat to businesses that are successfully attacked. The latest strains of crypto-ransomware target everything, including online backup, making even selective restoration a challenging and expensive exercise. Novel variations of ransomware like Ryuk, Maze, Sodinokibi, Mailto (aka Netwalker), DopplePaymer, LockBit and Nephilim have emerged, displacing Locky, TeslaCrypt, and CryptoWall in prominence, elaborateness, and destructive impact.

90% of crypto-ransomware infections are the result of innocent-looking emails that include malicious hyperlinks or file attachments, and a high percentage are so-called "zero-day" variants that can escape the defenses of legacy signature-based antivirus (AV) tools. While user education and frontline detection are important to defend your network against ransomware attacks, leading practices demand that you assume some attacks will inevitably get through and that you put in place a strong backup mechanism that permits you to restore files and services quickly with minimal losses.

Progent's ProSight Ransomware Preparedness Checkup is an ultra-affordable service centered around a remote interview with a Progent cybersecurity consultant skilled in ransomware protection and recovery. During this interview Progent will collaborate with your Birmingham IT managers to collect pertinent data concerning your cybersecurity profile and backup processes. Progent will utilize this information to produce a Basic Security and Best Practices Assessment detailing how to apply leading practices for implementing and administering your cybersecurity and backup solution to block or clean up after a crypto-ransomware assault.

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

Security

• Effective use of admin accounts
• Correct NTFS (New Technology File System) and SMB authorizations
• Optimal firewall setup
• Secure Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) access
• Advice about AntiVirus tools identification and deployment

• Split permission architecture for backup protection
• Protecting key servers including AD
• Geographically dispersed backups with cloud backup to Azure

About Ransomware
Ransomware is a type of malicious software that encrypts or steals files so they cannot be used or are made publicly available. Crypto-ransomware often locks the victim's computer. To prevent the damage, the target is asked to pay a specified amount of money, 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 altered or erased throughout a network based on the victim's write permissions, and you cannot break the military-grade encryption technologies used on the hostage files. A common ransomware delivery package is spoofed email, in which the user is tricked into interacting with by a social engineering technique called spear phishing. This causes the email message to appear to come from a familiar source. Another common attack vector is an improperly protected RDP port.

CryptoLocker ushered in the modern era of crypto-ransomware in 2013, and the damage caused by different strains of ransomware is estimated at billions of dollars annually, roughly doubling every other year. Famous attacks include Locky, and NotPetya. Current headline variants like Ryuk, DoppelPaymer and Cerber are more elaborate and have caused more havoc than earlier versions. Even if your backup/recovery processes allow you to recover your encrypted files, you can still be hurt by exfiltration, where stolen data are made public (known as "doxxing"). Because additional versions of ransomware crop up every day, there is no certainty that traditional signature-based anti-virus tools will detect a new malware. If threat does appear in an email, it is important that your users have been taught to be aware of social engineering tricks. Your last line of defense is a solid process for performing and retaining remote backups and the deployment of reliable recovery tools.

Ask Progent About the ProSight Ransomware Susceptibility Report in Birmingham
For pricing details and to learn more about how Progent's ProSight Crypto-Ransomware Vulnerability Evaluation can enhance your defense against ransomware in Birmingham, phone Progent at 800-462-8800 or see Contact Progent.