Charleston 24/7/365 Critical Crypto-Ransomware
Malware Detection and Remediation Support

Ransomware : Your Worst IT Catastrophe
Ransomware has become an escalating cyberplague that represents an existential danger for businesses vulnerable to an attack. Different iterations of crypto-ransomware like the CryptoLocker, Fusob, Bad Rabbit, SamSam and MongoLock cryptoworms have been running rampant for years and continue to cause havoc. Modern variants of ransomware like Ryuk, Maze, Sodinokibi, DopplePaymer, LockBit or Nephilim, plus additional unnamed newcomers, not only do encryption of online critical data but also infiltrate all configured system restores and backups. Files synchronized to off-site disaster recovery sites can also be corrupted. In a poorly designed data protection solution, it can make automated recovery useless and effectively knocks the datacenter back to zero.

Getting back online programs and data after a ransomware outage becomes a race against time as the victim fights to stop lateral movement, eradicate the crypto-ransomware, and resume business-critical activity. Because ransomware requires time to spread, attacks are often launched at night, when successful attacks typically take more time to discover. This compounds the difficulty of quickly mobilizing and coordinating a qualified response team.

Progent offers an assortment of services for securing enterprises from ransomware events. These include team member education to help identify and not fall victim to phishing attempts, ProSight Active Security Monitoring (ASM) for remote monitoring and management, in addition to deployment of modern security appliances with machine learning technology from SentinelOne to discover and quarantine day-zero cyber attacks rapidly. Progent in addition provides the assistance of expert ransomware recovery professionals with the track record and perseverance to reconstruct a breached network as rapidly as possible.

Progent's Ransomware Restoration Support Services
Soon after a ransomware invasion, sending the ransom demands in cryptocurrency does not guarantee that cyber criminals will respond with the codes to decrypt any or all of your files. Kaspersky determined that 17% of ransomware victims never restored their files even after having sent off the ransom, resulting in additional losses. The gamble is also expensive. Ryuk ransoms are typically several hundred thousand dollars. For larger enterprises, the ransom demand can be in the millions. The alternative is to re-install the vital parts of your IT environment. Absent the availability of complete system backups, this requires a wide complement of skills, top notch team management, and the willingness to work non-stop until the recovery project is complete.

For decades, Progent has provided professional IT services for companies throughout the U.S. and has earned Microsoft's Partnership certification in the Datacenter and Cloud Productivity competencies. Progent's pool of subject matter experts includes consultants who have earned high-level industry certifications in key technologies including Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, and popular distributions of Linux. Progent's security engineers have garnered internationally-renowned certifications including CISM, CISSP-ISSAP, CRISC, SANS GIAC, and CMMC 2.0. (Visit Progent's certifications). Progent in addition has expertise in financial systems and ERP application software. This breadth of experience provides Progent the capability to rapidly determine critical systems and re-organize the surviving pieces of your computer network system following a crypto-ransomware event and configure them into an operational network.

Progent's recovery team uses top notch project management systems to coordinate the complicated recovery process. Progent appreciates the urgency of working rapidly and in unison with a client's management and Information Technology resources to assign priority to tasks and to get critical systems back on line as fast as possible.

Case Study: A Successful Ransomware Intrusion Recovery
A customer sought out Progent after their network system was crashed by Ryuk crypto-ransomware. Ryuk is thought to have been developed by Northern Korean state sponsored cybercriminals, possibly adopting approaches leaked from the United States NSA organization. Ryuk targets specific businesses with little or no tolerance for operational disruption and is one of the most lucrative incarnations of ransomware. Headline victims include Data Resolution, a California-based information warehousing and cloud computing company, and the Chicago Tribune. Progent's client is a small manufacturing company headquartered in the Chicago metro area and has about 500 staff members. The Ryuk penetration had shut down all essential operations and manufacturing capabilities. Most of the client's data backups had been online at the start of the intrusion and were destroyed. The client was evaluating paying the ransom (in excess of $200K) and hoping for good luck, but in the end engaged Progent.

Progent worked together with the client to quickly determine and prioritize the most important elements that had to be recovered in order to continue departmental operations:

• Microsoft Active Directory
• Microsoft Exchange
• Accounting/MRP

In less than two days, Progent was able to rebuild Active Directory to its pre-attack state. Progent then helped perform rebuilding and hard drive recovery on key servers. All Exchange Server schema and configuration information were usable, which facilitated the restore of Exchange. Progent was able to collect local OST files (Microsoft Outlook Off-Line Data Files) on user desktop computers and laptops to recover email data. A not too old off-line backup of the client's accounting/MRP systems made them able to return these essential services back available to users. Although significant work was left to recover totally from the Ryuk attack, the most important services were recovered quickly:

During the following few weeks important milestones in the restoration process were completed through close cooperation between Progent team members and the client:

• Self-hosted web applications were returned to operation without losing any data.
• The MailStore Microsoft Exchange Server containing more than 4 million archived emails was spun up and accessible to users.
• CRM/Orders/Invoicing/Accounts Payable/Accounts Receivables/Inventory Control functions were 100 percent recovered.
• A new Palo Alto 850 security appliance was set up.
• Nearly all of the user desktops and notebooks were fully operational.

Conclusion
A likely company-ending catastrophe was evaded with top-tier experts, a wide spectrum of technical expertise, and close collaboration. Although in post mortem the crypto-ransomware penetration detailed here would have been identified and prevented with advanced security technology and recognized best practices, user and IT administrator education, and appropriate incident response procedures for information backup and applying software patches, the reality is that state-sponsored cybercriminals from Russia, North Korea and elsewhere are relentless and represent an ongoing threat. If you do fall victim to a ransomware incursion, remember that Progent's roster of experts has proven experience in crypto-ransomware virus blocking, cleanup, and file restoration.

To read or download a PDF version of this customer case study, click:
Progent's Crypto-Ransomware Virus Recovery Case Study Datasheet. (PDF - 282 KB)

Additional Crypto-Ransomware Protection Services Offered by Progent
Progent can provide companies in Charleston a portfolio of online monitoring and security evaluation services designed to help you to minimize your vulnerability to ransomware. These services include next-generation artificial intelligence technology to uncover new variants of ransomware that can escape detection by legacy signature-based anti-virus products.

• ProSight LAN Watch: Server and Desktop Monitoring
  ProSight LAN Watch is Progent's server and desktop monitoring managed service that incorporates state-of-the-art remote monitoring and management technology to keep your IT system operating at peak levels by checking the health of vital computers that drive your information system. When ProSight LAN Watch uncovers an issue, an alarm is transmitted automatically to your designated IT staff and your Progent engineering consultant so that all potential problems can be resolved before they have a chance to disrupt your network. Find out more details about ProSight LAN Watch server and desktop monitoring services.

• ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM: Centralized RMM for Networks, Servers, and Workstations
  ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM software delivers a centralized, cloud-based solution for managing your client-server infrastructure by providing an environment for performing common tedious jobs. These can include health monitoring, update management, automated repairs, endpoint deployment, backup and recovery, A/V protection, remote access, standard and custom scripts, asset inventory, endpoint status reporting, and troubleshooting support. When ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM identifies a serious issue, it transmits an alarm to your designated IT management personnel and your assigned Progent technical consultant so potential issues can be fixed before they interfere with your network. Find out more details about ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM server and desktop monitoring services.

• ProSight WAN Watch: Infrastructure Management
  ProSight WAN Watch is an infrastructure management service that makes it simple and affordable for small and mid-sized organizations to diagram, monitor, enhance and debug their networking appliances like routers and switches, firewalls, and access points as well as servers, client computers and other networked devices. Using cutting-edge Remote Monitoring and Management technology, ProSight WAN Watch makes sure that infrastructure topology maps are kept current, copies and manages the configuration information of virtually all devices connected to your network, monitors performance, and generates notices when problems are discovered. By automating time-consuming network management activities, WAN Watch can knock hours off ordinary tasks like network mapping, expanding your network, finding devices that need critical updates, or isolating performance problems. Find out more details about ProSight WAN Watch network infrastructure monitoring and management services.

• ProSight Reporting: In-depth Reporting for Ticketing and Network Monitoring Platforms
  ProSight Reporting is an expanding suite of real-time and in-depth management reporting plug-ins created to integrate with the industry's leading ticketing and network monitoring platforms including ConnectWise Manage, ConnectWise Automate, Customer Thermometer, Auvik, and SentinelOne. ProSight Reporting incorporates Microsoft Graph and utilizes color coding to surface and contextualize key issues like inconsistent support follow-through or machines with out-of-date AVs. By identifying ticketing or network health problems concisely and in near-real time, ProSight Reporting enhances network value, reduces management hassle, and saves money. For more information, see ProSight Reporting for ticketing and network monitoring applications.

• ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS): Managed Backup and Disaster Recovery Services
  Progent has partnered with advanced backup/restore technology providers to produce ProSight Data Protection Services, a selection of subscription-based management offerings that deliver backup-as-a-service. ProSight DPS products automate and monitor your backup operations and enable non-disruptive backup and fast restoration of important files/folders, apps, images, plus Hyper-V and VMware virtual machines. ProSight DPS helps your business protect against data loss resulting from hardware breakdown, natural calamities, fire, malware such as ransomware, human error, malicious insiders, or software glitches. Managed backup services available in the ProSight Data Protection Services product family include ProSight Altaro VM Backup, ProSight 365 Total Backup (formerly Altaro 365 Backup), ProSight DPS ECHO Backup based on Barracuda purpose-built storage, and ProSight DPS MSP360 Cloud and On-prem Backup. Your Progent consultant can assist you to identify which of these managed services are best suited for your IT environment.

• ProSight Email Guard: Inbound and Outbound Spam Filtering and Data Leakage Protection
  ProSight Email Guard is Progent's spam filtering service that incorporates the infrastructure of leading data security companies to provide web-based management and comprehensive security for your email traffic. The hybrid structure of Progent's Email Guard managed service integrates a Cloud Protection Layer with an on-premises gateway device to provide complete protection against spam, viruses, Dos Attacks, Directory Harvest Attacks (DHAs), and other email-borne threats. The Cloud Protection Layer serves as a preliminary barricade and blocks most unwanted email from reaching your network firewall. This decreases your vulnerability to external threats and saves network bandwidth and storage. Email Guard's onsite security gateway appliance adds a further level of analysis for inbound email. For outgoing email, the local gateway provides AV and anti-spam filtering, protection against data leaks, and email encryption. The on-premises security gateway can also assist Exchange Server to track and protect internal email that originates and ends inside your security perimeter. For more details, see Email Guard spam filtering and data leakage protection.

• ProSight Duo Two-Factor Authentication: Access Security, Endpoint Policy Enforcement, and Protected Single Sign-on
  Progent's Duo MFA services utilize Cisco's Duo technology to protect against password theft by using two-factor authentication. Duo supports single-tap identity confirmation with iOS, Android, and other out-of-band devices. Using Duo 2FA, whenever you log into a secured application and give your password you are requested to verify your identity via a device that only you have and that uses a different ("out-of-band") network channel. A broad selection of devices can be used for this second means of authentication such as a smartphone or wearable, a hardware token, a landline phone, etc. You can designate several verification devices. For details about Duo two-factor identity authentication services, go to Cisco Duo MFA two-factor authentication services for access security.

• Progent's Outsourced/Shared Call Center: Help Desk Managed Services
  Progent's Call Desk managed services enable your IT team to offload Support Desk services to Progent or split responsibilities for Help Desk services seamlessly between your in-house support group and Progent's nationwide pool of IT support technicians, engineers and subject matter experts. Progent's Shared Help Desk Service provides a seamless supplement to your core support organization. End user access to the Service Desk, delivery of support, problem escalation, ticket creation and updates, efficiency measurement, and maintenance of the service database are cohesive whether incidents are resolved by your core support staff, by Progent's team, or by a combination. Learn more about Progent's outsourced/shared Call Center services.

• Active Defense Against Ransomware: AI-based Ransomware Identification and Cleanup
  Progent's Active Protection Against Ransomware is an endpoint protection (EPP) managed service that utilizes next generation behavior-based machine learning tools to guard endpoints and servers and VMs against modern malware attacks such as ransomware and file-less exploits, which routinely escape legacy signature-matching anti-virus products. Progent ASM services protect local and cloud-based resources and provides a unified platform to manage the complete threat lifecycle including blocking, identification, mitigation, remediation, and post-attack forensics. Key features include single-click rollback using Windows VSS and real-time network-wide immunization against new attacks. Learn more about Progent's ransomware defense and cleanup services.

• ProSight IT Asset Management: Network Documentation Management
  Progent's ProSight IT Asset Management service is a cloud-based IT documentation management service that allows you to create, update, retrieve and safeguard data about your IT infrastructure, procedures, applications, and services. You can quickly find passwords or IP addresses and be warned about impending expirations of SSLs or warranties. By updating and organizing your network documentation, you can eliminate as much as half of time thrown away looking for vital information about your IT network. ProSight IT Asset Management features a common repository for storing and collaborating on all documents related to managing your network infrastructure such as recommended procedures and self-service instructions. ProSight IT Asset Management also supports a high level of automation for gathering and relating IT data. Whether you're planning enhancements, performing regular maintenance, or responding to a crisis, ProSight IT Asset Management gets you the knowledge you require when you need it. Find out more about ProSight IT Asset Management service.

• Patch Management: Software/Firmware Update Management Services
  Progent's managed services for patch management provide organizations of all sizes a versatile and affordable alternative for evaluating, validating, scheduling, applying, and tracking updates to your ever-evolving IT system. Besides maximizing the security and functionality of your IT network, Progent's patch management services free up time for your IT staff to concentrate on line-of-business projects and activities that derive the highest business value from your network. Read more about Progent's software/firmware update management support services.

• ProSight Virtual Hosting: Hosted VMs at Progent's World-class Data Center
  With Progent's ProSight Virtual Hosting service, a small or mid-size business can have its key servers and apps hosted in a secure fault tolerant data center on a fast virtual host set up and managed by Progent's IT support experts. Under Progent's ProSight Virtual Hosting model, the customer retains ownership of the data, the operating system platforms, and the applications. Because the environment is virtualized, it can be moved easily to an alternate hardware environment without requiring a lengthy and difficult reinstallation procedure. With ProSight Virtual Hosting, you are not tied one hosting provider. Learn more about ProSight Virtual Hosting services.

• ProSight Active Security Monitoring: Endpoint Protection and Ransomware Defense
  Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring (ASM) is an endpoint protection (EPP) solution that incorporates SentinelOne's next generation behavior-based analysis tools to defend physical and virtual endpoint devices against new malware attacks such as ransomware and email phishing, which routinely get by traditional signature-matching anti-virus tools. ProSight ASM protects on-premises and cloud resources and provides a single platform to address the complete threat lifecycle including blocking, identification, containment, cleanup, and post-attack forensics. Top features include one-click rollback using Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) and automatic system-wide immunization against new attacks. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, dealer, and integrator. Find out more about Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring next-generation endpoint protection and ransomware defense.

• ProSight Enhanced Security Protection (ESP): Physical and Virtual Endpoint Security and Microsoft Exchange Email Filtering
  Progent's ProSight Enhanced Security Protection managed services offer economical multi-layer protection for physical servers and VMs, desktops, smartphones, and Exchange email. ProSight ESP utilizes adaptive security and modern behavior analysis for continuously monitoring and responding to security assaults from all vectors. ProSight ESP delivers firewall protection, intrusion alarms, device management, and web filtering through cutting-edge tools incorporated within a single agent managed from a unified console. Progent's security and virtualization consultants can assist your business to plan and configure a ProSight ESP environment that meets your company's specific requirements and that helps you achieve and demonstrate compliance with government and industry information security regulations. Progent will assist you define and implement policies that ProSight ESP will manage, and Progent will monitor your IT environment and respond to alerts that require urgent action. Progent's consultants can also assist your company to install and test a backup and disaster recovery solution like ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS) so you can recover quickly from a potentially disastrous security attack such as ransomware. Learn more about Progent's ProSight Enhanced Security Protection (ESP) unified physical and virtual endpoint security and Microsoft Exchange email filtering.