Bristol Ransomware Protection and Removal Consulting

Ransomware has been widely adopted by the major cyber-crime organizations and malicious states, representing a potentially lethal threat to businesses that are successfully attacked. Modern strains of ransomware target all vulnerable resources, including backup, making even partial restoration a long and costly exercise. Novel strains of crypto-ransomware such as Ryuk, Maze, Sodinokibi, Netwalker, DopplePaymer, LockBit and Nephilim have made the headlines, replacing Locky, Spora, and Petya in notoriety, elaborateness, and destructive impact.

90% of ransomware breaches are the result of innocent-looking emails that include dangerous links or file attachments, and a high percentage are so-called "zero-day" variants that can escape detection by traditional signature-matching antivirus (AV) filters. While user training and up-front detection are critical to defend your network against ransomware attacks, leading practices dictate that you take for granted some malware will inevitably succeed and that you implement a solid backup solution that allows you to repair the damage quickly with minimal losses.

Progent's ProSight Ransomware Preparedness Checkup is an ultra-affordable service built around an online discussion with a Progent cybersecurity consultant experienced in ransomware protection and recovery. In the course of this assessment Progent will cooperate with your Bristol IT managers to collect pertinent data about your security configuration and backup processes. Progent will utilize this information to generate a Basic Security and Best Practices Assessment detailing how to follow leading practices for implementing and managing your security and backup systems to prevent or recover from a crypto-ransomware attack.

Progent's Basic Security and Best Practices Assessment focuses on vital issues associated with crypto-ransomware prevention and restoration recovery. The review addresses:

Security

• Proper use of admin accounts
• Appropriate NTFS (New Technology File System) and SMB permissions
• Proper firewall setup
• Secure Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) access
• Advice about AntiVirus tools identification and configuration

• Split permission architecture for backup protection
• Backing up critical servers such as Active Directory
• Geographically dispersed backups including cloud backup to Microsoft Azure

About Ransomware
Ransomware is a type of malicious software that encrypts or steals files so they cannot be used or are publicized. Ransomware sometimes locks the target's computer. To avoid the damage, the victim is asked to pay a certain amount of money (the ransom), usually via a crypto currency such as Bitcoin, within a short time window. It is not guaranteed that delivering the extortion price will recover the damaged files or prevent its publication. Files can be encrypted or deleted across a network based on the victim's write permissions, and you cannot reverse engineer the military-grade encryption technologies used on the compromised files. A common ransomware delivery package is spoofed email, whereby the victim is tricked into responding to by means of a social engineering technique called spear phishing. This causes the email message to look as though it came from a trusted source. Another common attack vector is a poorly protected Remote Desktop Protocol port.

CryptoLocker ushered in the modern era of crypto-ransomware in 2013, and the damage attributed to by the many versions of ransomware is said to be billions of dollars per year, roughly doubling every two years. Notorious attacks are Locky, and NotPetya. Recent high-profile threats like Ryuk, Sodinokibi and TeslaCrypt are more sophisticated and have wreaked more damage than earlier strains. Even if your backup procedures permit your business to restore your encrypted files, you can still be hurt by so-called exfiltration, where stolen documents are exposed to the public (known as "doxxing"). Because additional variants of ransomware crop up every day, there is no guarantee that traditional signature-based anti-virus tools will detect a new malware. If threat does show up in an email, it is critical that your end users have been taught to be aware of phishing techniques. Your ultimate protection is a sound scheme for scheduling and retaining offsite backups and the use of reliable restoration tools.

Ask Progent About the ProSight Ransomware Preparedness Audit in Bristol
For pricing details and to learn more about how Progent's ProSight Ransomware Preparedness Consultation can bolster your protection against crypto-ransomware in Bristol, phone Progent at 800-462-8800 or see Contact Progent.