Ransomware Hot Line: 800-462-8800
24x7 Online Help from a Top-tier Ransomware Engineer
Ransomware needs time to steal its way through a network. For this reason, ransomware attacks are typically unleashed on weekends and at night, when IT personnel are likely to be slower to recognize a break-in and are least able to organize a rapid and forceful defense. The more lateral movement ransomware can achieve within a victim's system, the more time it will require to recover core IT services and scrambled files and the more information can be stolen and posted to the dark web.
Progent's Ransomware Hot Line is intended to help organizations to complete the time-critical first phase in responding to a ransomware attack by stopping the bleeding. Progent's online ransomware experts can help businesses in the Cincinnati area to identify and quarantine infected devices and guard undamaged resources from being penetrated.
If your system has been penetrated by any version of ransomware, don't panic. Get help quickly by calling Progent's Ransomware Hot Line at 800-462-8800.
Progent's Ransomware Response Expertise Available in Cincinnati
Current strains of crypto-ransomware like Ryuk, Maze, Netwalker, and Nephilim encrypt online files and infiltrate any available system restores and backups. Data synchronized to the cloud can also be corrupted. For a poorly defended environment, this can make system recovery nearly impossible and effectively throws the datacenter back to the beginning. Threat Actors (TAs), the cybercriminals behind a ransomware assault, demand a settlement payment in exchange for the decryptors required to unlock encrypted data. Ransomware assaults also attempt to exfiltrate information and hackers demand an additional payment in exchange for not publishing this information or selling it. Even if you can restore your system to a tolerable date in time, exfiltration can be a big problem according to the sensitivity of the stolen data.
The restoration process after a ransomware penetration has several distinct phases, the majority of which can be performed concurrently if the response workgroup has a sufficient number of members with the required skill sets.
- Containment: This time-critical initial step involves blocking the lateral spread of the attack within your network. The longer a ransomware assault is permitted to run unrestricted, the more complex and more costly the restoration process. Because of this, Progent keeps a round-the-clock Ransomware Hotline staffed by veteran ransomware response experts. Containment processes consist of isolating infected endpoint devices from the rest of network to restrict the contagion, documenting the IT system, and securing entry points.
- System continuity: This covers restoring the network to a minimal useful degree of capability with the shortest possible downtime. This process is typically the highest priority for the victims of the ransomware assault, who often see it as a life-or-death issue for their company. This activity also demands the broadest array of technical skills that cover domain controllers, DHCP servers, physical and virtual servers, desktops, notebooks and mobile phones, databases, office and mission-critical apps, network architecture, and protected remote access. Progent's recovery team uses advanced workgroup platforms to coordinate the multi-faceted restoration process. Progent understands the importance of working rapidly, tirelessly, and in unison with a client's management and network support group to prioritize activity and to get essential resources on line again as quickly as possible.
- Data restoration: The effort necessary to restore files damaged by a ransomware assault depends on the state of the systems, the number of files that are affected, and which recovery methods are required. Ransomware assaults can take down critical databases which, if not carefully shut down, might have to be reconstructed from the beginning. This can apply to DNS and Active Directory (AD) databases. Microsoft Exchange and SQL Server rely on AD, and many manufacturing and other mission-critical applications are powered by Microsoft SQL Server. Often some detective work could be needed to locate clean data. For example, non-encrypted Outlook Email Offline Folder Files may exist on staff desktop computers and laptops that were not connected during the assault. Progent's ProSight Data Protection Services utilize Altaro VM Backup tools to defend against ransomware attacks by leveraging Immutable Cloud Storage. This produces tamper-proof backup data that cannot be erased or modified by anyone including root users.
- Setting up advanced antivirus/ransomware protection: ProSight ASM utilizes SentinelOne's machine learning technology to offer small and mid-sized companies the benefits of the identical AV tools used by many of the world's biggest corporations such as Netflix, Citi, and NASDAQ. By delivering real-time malware blocking, identification, mitigation, repair and forensics in one integrated platform, Progent's ASM reduces TCO, simplifies administration, and expedites resumption of operations. SentinelOne's next-generation endpoint protection (NGEP) incorporated in Progent's Active Security Monitoring was listed by Gartner Group as the industry's "most visionary Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)." Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, dealer, and integrator. Learn about Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring endpoint protection and ransomware recovery with SentinelOne technology.
- Negotiation with the hacker Progent has experience negotiating ransom settlements with hackers. This requires working closely with the ransomware victim and the insurance provider, if there is one. Activities include establishing the type of ransomware used in the assault; identifying and making contact with the hacker persona; testing decryption tool; deciding on a settlement amount with the ransomware victim and the insurance provider; establishing a settlement amount and schedule with the TA; checking adherence to anti-money laundering (AML) regulations; overseeing the crypto-currency payment to the TA; acquiring, learning, and operating the decryption tool; troubleshooting decryption problems; creating a clean environment; mapping and connecting datastores to match precisely their pre-encryption condition; and reprovisioning computers and services.
- Forensic analysis: This activity is aimed at discovering the ransomware assault's storyline throughout the network from beginning to end. This audit trail of the way a ransomware attack travelled within the network helps you to evaluate the damage and highlights vulnerabilities in policies or processes that should be corrected to avoid later breaches. Forensics entails the review of all logs, registry, Group Policy Object (GPO), Active Directory, DNS servers, routers, firewalls, scheduled tasks, and core Windows systems to check for anomalies. Forensic analysis is usually given a high priority by the insurance provider. Because forensic analysis can take time, it is critical that other key activities like operational resumption are performed in parallel. Progent has a large roster of information technology and security professionals with the knowledge and experience required to perform the work of containment, operational continuity, and data recovery without interfering with forensic analysis.
Progent's Background
Progent has provided online and on-premises network services across the U.S. for over two decades and has been awarded Microsoft's Partner designation in the Datacenter and Cloud Productivity practice areas. Progent's roster of SMEs includes consultants who have been awarded high-level certifications in core technology platforms including Cisco networking, VMware virtualization, and major Linux distros. Progent's cybersecurity consultants have earned prestigious certifications such as CISM, CISSP-ISSAP, CRISC, and CMMC 2.0. (Refer to certifications earned by Progent consultants). Progent also offers top-tier support in financial and ERP applications. This scope of skills gives Progent the ability to identify and consolidate the undamaged parts of your information system after a ransomware attack and reconstruct them quickly into a functioning system. Progent has collaborated with top cyber insurance providers including Chubb to help organizations recover from ransomware assaults.
Contact Progent for Ransomware System Recovery Consulting Services in Cincinnati
For ransomware recovery expertise in the Cincinnati area, phone Progent at 800-462-8800 or see Contact Progent.