Ransomware Hot Line: 800-462-8800
24x7 Remote Access to a Senior Ransomware Consultant
Ransomware needs time to work its way across a network. For this reason, ransomware assaults are typically launched on weekends and late at night, when IT staff are likely to take longer to recognize a penetration and are least able to organize a rapid and coordinated defense. The more lateral movement ransomware can make inside a victim's network, the more time it will require to recover basic IT services and damaged files and the more information can be stolen and posted to the dark web.
Progent's Ransomware Hot Line is designed to assist organizations to take the time-critical first step in mitigating a ransomware assault by stopping the bleeding. Progent's online ransomware experts can assist organizations in the Chattanooga area to locate and isolate infected servers and endpoints and guard undamaged resources from being compromised.
If your network has been penetrated by any strain of ransomware, don't panic. Get immediate help by calling Progent's Ransomware Hot Line at 800-462-8800.
Progent's Ransomware Response Expertise Available in Chattanooga
Current variants of crypto-ransomware like Ryuk, Maze, DopplePaymer, and Egregor encrypt online data and infiltrate any accessible system restores and backups. Data synchronized to the cloud can also be corrupted. For a vulnerable environment, this can make system restoration almost impossible and basically throws the datacenter back to the beginning. So-called Threat Actors, the cybercriminals responsible for ransomware attack, insist on a settlement fee in exchange for the decryption tools needed to unlock encrypted files. Ransomware attacks also attempt to steal (or "exfiltrate") files and TAs require an extra payment for not publishing this data on the dark web. Even if you are able to rollback your network to an acceptable date in time, exfiltration can be a big issue depending on the nature of the downloaded data.
The restoration process after a ransomware attack involves several distinct phases, most of which can be performed concurrently if the response team has enough people with the required skill sets.
- Quarantine: This time-critical first response involves arresting the sideways spread of ransomware within your network. The more time a ransomware assault is allowed to run unrestricted, the longer and more costly the restoration process. Because of this, Progent keeps a 24x7 Ransomware Hotline staffed by veteran ransomware recovery engineers. Quarantine processes consist of cutting off affected endpoint devices from the rest of network to block the contagion, documenting the IT system, and securing entry points.
- Operational continuity: This covers restoring the IT system to a basic useful level of functionality with the shortest possible delay. This effort is typically the highest priority for the targets of the ransomware assault, who often see it as an existential issue for their company. This project also requires the widest array of technical skills that cover domain controllers, DHCP servers, physical and virtual machines, desktops, laptops and smart phones, databases, productivity and mission-critical applications, network architecture, and safe endpoint access management. Progent's recovery experts use advanced collaboration tools to organize the complex restoration effort. Progent understands the importance of working quickly, continuously, and in unison with a customer's managers and network support group to prioritize activity and to put vital services on line again as fast as feasible.
- Data restoration: The effort required to recover files damaged by a ransomware attack depends on the condition of the network, how many files are encrypted, and what recovery techniques are required. Ransomware attacks can destroy key databases which, if not carefully closed, may need to be rebuilt from scratch. This can apply to DNS and Active Directory (AD) databases. Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft SQL Server rely on AD, and many manufacturing and other mission-critical applications depend on Microsoft SQL Server. Often some detective work may be required to find clean data. For instance, non-encrypted OST files (Outlook Email Offline Folder Files) may have survived on staff desktop computers and laptops that were not connected during the assault.
- Deploying modern antivirus/ransomware protection: Progent's ProSight ASM uses SentinelOne's behavioral analysis technology to offer small and mid-sized companies the advantages of the identical anti-virus tools used by many of the world's largest corporations including Netflix, Visa, and Salesforce. By providing in-line malware blocking, identification, mitigation, restoration and analysis in one integrated platform, ProSight Active Security Monitoring cuts TCO, streamlines management, and promotes rapid operational continuity. SentinelOne's next-generation endpoint protection engine incorporated in Progent's ProSight ASM was listed by Gartner Group as the industry's "most visionary Endpoint Protection Platform." Progent is a SentinelOne Partner. Learn about Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring (ASM) endpoint protection and ransomware defense with SentinelOne technology.
- Negotiating a settlement with the hacker Progent is experienced in negotiating ransom settlements with threat actors. This calls for working closely with the ransomware victim and the cyber insurance carrier, if there is one. Activities consist of determining the type of ransomware involved in the assault; identifying and making contact with the hacker; verifying decryption capabilities; budgeting a settlement with the ransomware victim and the cyber insurance provider; negotiating a settlement amount and schedule with the TA; confirming adherence to anti-money laundering (AML) regulations; overseeing the crypto-currency transfer to the hacker; acquiring, reviewing, and operating the decryption utility; troubleshooting failed files; building a clean environment; remapping and reconnecting datastores to reflect exactly their pre-attack condition; and restoring machines and services.
- Forensics: This activity involves uncovering the ransomware attack's storyline across the targeted network from beginning to end. This audit trail of how a ransomware attack progressed within the network assists your IT staff to evaluate the impact and uncovers vulnerabilities in policies or work habits that need to be rectified to avoid future breaches. Forensics involves the review of all logs, registry, Group Policy Object (GPO), Active Directory (AD), DNS, routers, firewalls, scheduled tasks, and core Windows systems to detect changes. Forensics is typically given a top priority by the cyber insurance carrier. Since forensic analysis can take time, it is essential that other key recovery processes like business resumption are performed in parallel. Progent has an extensive roster of IT and security experts with the knowledge and experience required to perform the work of containment, business continuity, and data restoration without interfering with forensic analysis.
Progent's Background
Progent has provided remote and onsite IT services across the United States for over two decades and has been awarded Microsoft's Gold Partner designation in the Datacenter and Cloud Productivity practice areas. Progent's team of subject matter experts (SMEs) includes consultants who have been awarded high-level certifications in foundation technologies including Cisco infrastructure, VMware, and major distributions of Linux. Progent's cybersecurity consultants have earned prestigious certifications including CISM, CISSP-ISSAP, and GIAC. (See Progent's certifications). Progent also has guidance in financial and ERP software. This breadth of expertise gives Progent the ability to identify and consolidate the surviving parts of your network after a ransomware attack and rebuild them quickly into a functioning network. Progent has collaborated with leading insurance carriers like Chubb to assist businesses clean up after ransomware assaults.
Contact Progent for Ransomware Cleanup Consulting in Chattanooga
For ransomware cleanup expertise in the Chattanooga area, phone Progent at 800-462-8800 or go to Contact Progent.