Buffalo Ransomware Protection and Recovery Consulting

Ransomware has become the weapon of choice for the major cyber-crime organizations and malicious states, representing a potentially lethal threat to companies that are victimized. The latest variations of crypto-ransomware target everything, including online backup, making even partial restoration a challenging and costly process. Novel versions of crypto-ransomware such as Ryuk, Maze, Sodinokibi, Mailto (aka Netwalker), Phobos, Snatch and Nephilim have made the headlines, replacing Locky, Cerber, and Petya in prominence, sophistication, and destructive impact.

90% of crypto-ransomware infections are the result of innocuous-seeming emails with dangerous hyperlinks or attachments, and a high percentage are "zero-day" variants that can escape the defenses of legacy signature-matching antivirus (AV) tools. While user education and up-front identification are important to protect against ransomware, leading practices demand that you take for granted some malware will inevitably succeed and that you implement a strong backup solution that allows you to recover rapidly with minimal damage.

Progent's ProSight Ransomware Preparedness Checkup is a low-cost service centered around a remote interview with a Progent security consultant skilled in ransomware protection and repair. During this interview Progent will work directly with your Buffalo network managers to gather pertinent information about your security configuration and backup processes. Progent will use this information to create a Basic Security and Best Practices Report detailing how to follow leading practices for configuring and managing your cybersecurity and backup solution to block or recover from a ransomware assault.

Progent's Basic Security and Best Practices Report highlights vital issues associated with ransomware defense and restoration recovery. The review covers:

Security

• Effective use of admin accounts
• Assigning NTFS (New Technology File System) and SMB (Server Message Block) authorizations
• Optimal firewall settings
• Safe Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) configuration
• Guidance for AntiVirus (AV) filtering selection and deployment

• Split permission architecture for backup integrity
• Backing up key servers such as AD
• Geographically dispersed backups including cloud backup to Microsoft Azure

About Ransomware
Ransomware is a type of malicious software that encrypts or deletes files so they cannot be used or are made publicly available. Ransomware sometimes locks the victim's computer. To prevent the carnage, the victim is asked to pay a specified amount of money (the ransom), typically in the form of a crypto currency like Bitcoin, within a brief time window. It is never certain that paying the extortion price will restore the damaged data or prevent its publication. Files can be altered or deleted across a network based on the target's write permissions, and you cannot break the military-grade encryption algorithms used on the hostage files. A common ransomware delivery package is spoofed email, whereby the target is lured into responding to by a social engineering technique called spear phishing. This causes the email to appear to come from a familiar source. Another common vulnerability is a poorly protected RDP port.

CryptoLocker ushered in the new age of crypto-ransomware in 2013, and the damage caused by the many strains of ransomware is said to be billions of dollars per year, more than doubling every other year. Famous examples are WannaCry, and NotPetya. Recent high-profile variants like Ryuk, DoppelPaymer and CryptoWall are more complex and have caused more damage than earlier versions. Even if your backup procedures permit you to restore your encrypted files, you can still be threatened by so-called exfiltration, where stolen documents are exposed to the public. Because new versions of ransomware crop up daily, there is no certainty that conventional signature-based anti-virus filters will detect a new malware. If threat does appear in an email, it is important that your end users have learned to identify social engineering tricks. Your ultimate protection is a solid scheme for performing and keeping remote backups and the use of dependable recovery platforms.

Ask Progent About the ProSight Ransomware Susceptibility Audit in Buffalo
For pricing information and to find out more about how Progent's ProSight Crypto-Ransomware Vulnerability Consultation can enhance your defense against ransomware in Buffalo, phone Progent at 800-462-8800 or see Contact Progent.