Calgary Ransomware Filtering and Removal Solutions

Ransomware has been weaponized by the major cyber-crime organizations and bad-actor governments, posing a potentially existential risk to businesses that are victimized. Current strains of ransomware target everything, including online backup, making even partial recovery a challenging and expensive exercise. New strains of ransomware like Ryuk, Maze, Sodinokibi, Mailto (aka Netwalker), Phobos, Conti and Egregor have made the headlines, replacing WannaCry, Spora, and CryptoWall in prominence, sophistication, and destructive impact.

90% of ransomware breaches are caused by innocent-looking emails that include malicious links or attachments, and a high percentage are so-called "zero-day" strains that can escape detection by legacy signature-matching antivirus (AV) tools. While user education and frontline identification are critical to defend your network against ransomware, best practices dictate that you expect that some malware will inevitably get through and that you implement a strong backup mechanism that permits you to recover rapidly with little if any losses.

Progent's ProSight Ransomware Preparedness Checkup is a low-cost service built around an online discussion with a Progent cybersecurity consultant experienced in ransomware defense and recovery. During this assessment Progent will collaborate directly with your Calgary network managers to collect critical data about your security setup and backup processes. Progent will use this data to generate a Basic Security and Best Practices Assessment detailing how to apply best practices for implementing and managing your security and backup systems to block or clean up after a ransomware assault.

Progent's Basic Security and Best Practices Report highlights vital issues related to crypto-ransomware defense and restoration recovery. The report covers:

Security

• Proper allocation and use of admin accounts
• Correct NTFS (New Technology File System) and SMB (Server Message Block) authorizations
• Optimal firewall settings
• Secure RDP connections
• Advice about AntiVirus tools identification and deployment

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

About Ransomware
Ransomware is a form of malware that encrypts or steals a victim's files so they cannot be used or are publicized. Ransomware sometimes locks the victim's computer. To prevent the carnage, the target is required to send a certain amount of money, usually in the form of a crypto currency such as Bitcoin, within a brief period of time. It is not guaranteed that delivering the extortion price will recover the damaged data or avoid its exposure to the public. Files can be encrypted or erased across a network based on the victim's write permissions, and you cannot solve the strong encryption algorithms used on the compromised files. A common ransomware attack vector is tainted email, in which the target is lured into responding to by a social engineering technique known as spear phishing. This makes the email to appear to come from a trusted source. Another popular attack vector is an improperly secured RDP port.

CryptoLocker ushered in the modern era of 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 examples are Locky, and Petya. Recent high-profile threats like Ryuk, Sodinokibi and Cerber are more elaborate and have wreaked more havoc than older strains. Even if your backup procedures permit your business to recover your ransomed data, you can still be hurt by exfiltration, where ransomed data are exposed to the public (known as "doxxing"). Because additional variants of ransomware are launched daily, there is no guarantee that traditional signature-matching anti-virus filters will detect a new malware. If threat does show up in an email, it is important that your end users have learned to be aware of social engineering techniques. Your ultimate protection is a sound process for performing and keeping remote backups and the deployment of dependable restoration tools.

Contact Progent About the ProSight Crypto-Ransomware Vulnerability Audit in Calgary
For pricing information and to learn more about how Progent's ProSight Crypto-Ransomware Preparedness Review can enhance your defense against ransomware in Calgary, phone Progent at 800-462-8800 or see Contact Progent.