Centennial Ransomware Protection and Cleanup Services

Ransomware has become the weapon of choice for cybercriminals and malicious states, representing a potentially existential risk to businesses that are victimized. Current strains of crypto-ransomware target all vulnerable resources, including backup, making even partial restoration a long and expensive exercise. New versions of crypto-ransomware such as Ryuk, Maze, Sodinokibi, Netwalker, DopplePaymer, Snatch and Nephilim have made the headlines, replacing WannaCry, Spora, and NotPetya in prominence, elaborateness, and destructive impact.

Most ransomware penetrations come from innocuous-seeming emails that include dangerous hyperlinks or attachments, and many are "zero-day" strains that can escape detection by traditional signature-based antivirus filters. Although user training and up-front detection are important to protect your network against ransomware attacks, leading practices dictate that you expect that some malware will inevitably get through and that you implement a strong backup solution that allows you to recover rapidly with minimal losses.

Progent's ProSight Ransomware Vulnerability Assessment is an ultra-affordable service centered around a remote interview with a Progent cybersecurity consultant skilled in ransomware defense and repair. During this interview Progent will cooperate with your Centennial network managers to gather critical data about your security posture and backup environment. Progent will utilize this data to produce a Basic Security and Best Practices Report detailing how to follow leading practices for configuring and managing your security and backup systems to block or clean up after a ransomware assault.

Progent's Basic Security and Best Practices Assessment focuses on key issues associated with crypto-ransomware defense and restoration recovery. The report covers:

Cybersecurity

• Correct use of admin accounts
• Appropriate NTFS and SMB (Server Message Block) permissions
• Optimal firewall configuration
• Secure Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) access
• Advice about AntiVirus (AV) tools identification and deployment

• Split permission model for backup protection
• Protecting required servers such as AD
• Offsite backups with cloud backup to Azure

About Ransomware
Ransomware is a variety of malware that encrypts or deletes a victim's files so they cannot be used or are made publicly available. Ransomware sometimes locks the victim's computer. To avoid the carnage, the victim is required to send a certain amount of money (the ransom), usually via a crypto currency such as Bitcoin, within a short time window. It is never certain that paying the ransom will restore the lost data or prevent its publication. Files can be altered or erased throughout a network based on the victim's write permissions, and you cannot reverse engineer the military-grade encryption algorithms used on the hostage files. A common ransomware attack vector is spoofed email, in which the target is tricked into responding to by means of a social engineering exploit called spear phishing. This makes the email message to appear to come from a familiar sender. Another common vulnerability is a poorly secured Remote Desktop Protocol port.

CryptoLocker opened the modern era of crypto-ransomware in 2013, and the damage attributed to by different strains of ransomware is said to be billions of dollars per year, more than doubling every other year. Notorious attacks include WannaCry, and Petya. Recent high-profile threats like Ryuk, Maze and Cerber are more elaborate and have caused more havoc than older strains. Even if your backup processes permit you to recover your ransomed files, you can still be hurt by so-called exfiltration, where ransomed data are exposed to the public. Because additional versions of ransomware crop up daily, there is no guarantee that traditional signature-based anti-virus filters will detect the latest malware. If threat does appear in an email, it is critical that your end users have been taught to identify phishing tricks. Your last line of protection is a solid scheme for performing and keeping offsite backups and the deployment of dependable recovery platforms.

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