Chandler Ransomware Prevention and Remediation Expertise

Ransomware has been weaponized by cybercriminals and bad-actor states, posing a potentially existential threat to companies that are successfully attacked. Modern variations of crypto-ransomware go after everything, including online backup, making even partial restoration a complex and expensive exercise. Novel strains of crypto-ransomware such as Ryuk, Maze, Sodinokibi, Mailto (aka Netwalker), Phobos, Snatch and Egregor have emerged, displacing WannaCry, Spora, and Petya in notoriety, elaborateness, and destructive impact.

90% of ransomware penetrations are caused by innocuous-seeming emails with malicious hyperlinks or file attachments, and a high percentage are so-called "zero-day" variants that can escape the defenses of traditional signature-matching antivirus (AV) filters. Although user training and up-front identification are critical to defend against ransomware, best practices dictate that you expect that some attacks will eventually get through and that you deploy a solid backup mechanism that enables you to repair the damage quickly with little if any losses.

Progent's ProSight Ransomware Vulnerability Assessment is an ultra-affordable service built around an online discussion with a Progent cybersecurity expert skilled in ransomware defense and repair. During this interview Progent will collaborate with your Chandler network managers to gather critical information about your cybersecurity posture and backup processes. Progent will use this data to generate a Basic Security and Best Practices Assessment documenting how to apply leading practices for configuring and managing your cybersecurity and backup systems to block or recover from a ransomware assault.

Progent's Basic Security and Best Practices Assessment focuses on key areas associated with crypto-ransomware prevention and restoration recovery. The report addresses:

Cybersecurity

• Proper allocation and use of admin accounts
• Correct NTFS (New Technology File System) and SMB authorizations
• Optimal firewall setup
• Safe RDP connections
• Guidance for AntiVirus filtering identification and configuration

• Split permission model for backup integrity
• Protecting critical servers such as Active Directory
• Geographically dispersed backups including cloud backup to Microsoft Azure

About Ransomware
Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts or steals files so they are unusable or are publicized. Ransomware often locks the target's computer. To avoid the damage, the victim is asked to send a specified amount of money (the ransom), typically in the form of a crypto currency such as Bitcoin, within a brief time window. It is never certain that delivering the extortion price will recover the lost files or prevent its publication. Files can be encrypted or erased throughout a network based on the target's write permissions, and you cannot solve the military-grade encryption technologies used on the hostage files. A common ransomware attack vector is booby-trapped email, whereby the victim is tricked into interacting with by means of a social engineering technique known as spear phishing. This causes the email to appear to come from a trusted source. Another common vulnerability is a poorly protected Remote Desktop Protocol port.

The ransomware variant CryptoLocker ushered in the new age of ransomware in 2013, and the monetary losses attributed to by the many strains of ransomware is said to be billions of dollars annually, more than doubling every two years. Notorious attacks are Locky, and NotPetya. Current headline variants like Ryuk, Sodinokibi and Spora are more complex and have wreaked more havoc than earlier versions. Even if your backup procedures permit you to recover your encrypted files, you can still be hurt by so-called exfiltration, where ransomed data are exposed to the public (known as "doxxing"). Because new variants of ransomware crop up daily, there is no guarantee that conventional signature-matching anti-virus filters will block the latest malware. If threat does appear in an email, it is critical that your end users have learned to be aware of social engineering tricks. Your last line of protection is a sound process for scheduling and retaining remote backups and the deployment of reliable restoration platforms.

Contact Progent About the ProSight Ransomware Preparedness Consultation in Chandler
For pricing information and to find out more about how Progent's ProSight Ransomware Susceptibility Audit can enhance your protection against ransomware in Chandler, phone Progent at 800-462-8800 or visit Contact Progent.