Columbus Ransomware Prevention and Remediation Expertise

Ransomware has become the weapon of choice for the major cyber-crime organizations and rogue states, representing a potentially lethal threat to companies that are successfully attacked. Modern strains of crypto-ransomware target everything, including backup, making even partial restoration a complex and expensive process. Novel strains of crypto-ransomware such as Ryuk, Maze, Sodinokibi, Mailto (aka Netwalker), DopplePaymer, Snatch and Egregor have emerged, displacing Locky, TeslaCrypt, and CryptoWall in notoriety, elaborateness, and destructiveness.

Most crypto-ransomware infections are caused by innocuous-looking emails with malicious links or attachments, and a high percentage are "zero-day" strains that can escape the defenses of legacy signature-matching antivirus filters. While user training and up-front detection are important to protect your network against ransomware attacks, leading practices demand that you take for granted some attacks will eventually succeed and that you prepare a strong backup solution that enables you to recover rapidly with little if any damage.

Progent's ProSight Ransomware Vulnerability Assessment is a low-cost service centered around an online discussion with a Progent cybersecurity consultant skilled in ransomware protection and repair. In the course of this interview Progent will work directly with your Columbus network management staff to gather critical information about your cybersecurity posture and backup environment. Progent will use this information to generate a Basic Security and Best Practices Report documenting how to follow best practices for configuring and managing your security and backup systems to block or clean up after a crypto-ransomware attack.

Progent's Basic Security and Best Practices Assessment focuses on key issues related to ransomware defense and restoration recovery. The report addresses:

Security

• Effective use of admin accounts
• Appropriate NTFS (New Technology File System) and SMB authorizations
• Optimal firewall settings
• Safe Remote Desktop Protocol configuration
• Guidance for AntiVirus tools identification and deployment

• Split permission architecture for backup protection
• Backing up key servers such as AD
• Offsite backups with cloud backup to Microsoft Azure

About Ransomware
Ransomware is a variety of malicious software that encrypts or deletes files so they cannot be used or are publicized. Crypto-ransomware often locks the victim's computer. To prevent the carnage, the target is required to pay a specified ransom, usually in the form of a crypto currency such as Bitcoin, within a short period of time. It is not guaranteed that paying the ransom will restore the lost files or avoid its exposure to the public. Files can be altered or deleted across a network depending on the target's write permissions, and you cannot solve the strong encryption technologies used on the compromised files. A typical ransomware attack vector is booby-trapped email, in which the victim is lured into interacting with by means of a social engineering exploit known as spear phishing. This makes the email message to appear to come from a trusted source. Another common vulnerability is an improperly protected RDP port.

The ransomware variant CryptoLocker ushered in the new age of crypto-ransomware in 2013, and the damage attributed to by different versions of ransomware is said to be billions of dollars per year, roughly doubling every two years. Famous attacks include WannaCry, and Petya. Recent high-profile threats like Ryuk, Sodinokibi and CryptoWall are more elaborate and have caused more damage than earlier versions. Even if your backup/recovery processes allow your business to restore your ransomed files, you can still be threatened by so-called exfiltration, where ransomed documents are exposed to the public. Because additional variants of ransomware crop up every day, there is no certainty that traditional signature-based anti-virus tools will block a new attack. If threat does show up in an email, it is critical that your users have learned to identify phishing techniques. Your last line of protection is a sound scheme for scheduling and retaining offsite backups plus the use of reliable restoration platforms.

Ask Progent About the ProSight Ransomware Vulnerability Report in Columbus
For pricing details and to find out more about how Progent's ProSight Ransomware Readiness Evaluation can enhance your defense against crypto-ransomware in Columbus, phone Progent at 800-462-8800 or see Contact Progent.