Ransomware Hot Line: 800-462-8800
24x7 Online Help from a Senior Ransomware Engineer
Ransomware requires time to work its way across a network. Because of this, ransomware attacks are commonly launched on weekends and late at night, when IT staff are likely to be slower to recognize a breach and are less able to organize a quick and coordinated defense. The more lateral progress ransomware is able to manage inside a victim's network, the more time it takes to recover basic IT services and scrambled files and the more data can be exfiltrated to the dark web.
Progent's Ransomware Hot Line is intended to assist organizations to carry out the urgent first step in mitigating a ransomware assault by stopping the bleeding. Progent's remote ransomware experts can help businesses in the Corpus Christi metro area to locate and quarantine infected devices and protect clean resources from being compromised.
If your system has been breached by any strain of ransomware, act fast. Get immediate help by calling Progent's Ransomware Hot Line at 800-462-8800.
Progent's Ransomware Recovery Expertise Offered in Corpus Christi
Modern strains of ransomware such as Ryuk, Sodinokibi, DopplePaymer, and Nephilim encrypt online data and attack any accessible system restores and backups. Files synched to the cloud can also be corrupted. For a vulnerable network, this can make automated recovery almost impossible and basically knocks the datacenter back to square one. Threat Actors (TAs), the cybercriminals responsible for ransomware assault, insist on a settlement fee for the decryptors required to unlock encrypted files. Ransomware assaults also attempt to steal (or "exfiltrate") information and hackers require an additional settlement in exchange for not posting this information on the dark web. Even if you can rollback your network to an acceptable point in time, exfiltration can be a major issue depending on the sensitivity of the stolen information.
The restoration process after a ransomware attack has several distinct stages, the majority of which can proceed in parallel if the response team has a sufficient number of people with the required experience.
- Quarantine: This time-critical initial step involves blocking the sideways spread of the attack across your IT system. The longer a ransomware assault is permitted to run unchecked, the more complex and more expensive the restoration effort. Because of this, Progent maintains a 24x7 Ransomware Hotline monitored by seasoned ransomware recovery experts. Containment activities consist of cutting off affected endpoints from the network to minimize the contagion, documenting the IT system, and protecting entry points.
- System continuity: This covers bringing back the network to a basic acceptable level of functionality with the least delay. This process is usually the top priority for the targets of the ransomware assault, who often perceive it to be an existential 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, productivity and line-of-business applications, network topology, and protected remote access. Progent's recovery experts use advanced collaboration platforms to coordinate the multi-faceted restoration process. Progent understands the urgency of working rapidly, continuously, and in concert with a customer's management and IT staff to prioritize activity and to put essential services back online as quickly as feasible.
- Data recovery: The work necessary to recover files damaged by a ransomware assault depends on the state of the network, the number of files that are affected, and which recovery techniques are required. Ransomware attacks can take down key databases which, if not carefully closed, might need to be reconstructed from scratch. This can apply to DNS and Active Directory (AD) databases. Exchange and SQL Server rely on AD, and many financial and other business-critical applications are powered by SQL Server. Often some detective work could be needed to locate clean data. For instance, undamaged OST files may have survived on employees' desktop computers and notebooks that were off line during the ransomware assault. Progent's ProSight Data Protection Services offer Altaro VM Backup tools to protect against ransomware via Immutable Cloud Storage. This creates tamper-proof backup data that cannot be modified by any user including administrators or root users.
- Implementing modern AV/ransomware defense: ProSight ASM uses SentinelOne's machine learning technology to offer small and medium-sized businesses the advantages of the identical anti-virus tools used by some of the world's biggest enterprises such as Netflix, Visa, and Salesforce. By delivering in-line malware filtering, identification, containment, recovery and analysis in one integrated platform, ProSight Active Security Monitoring lowers total cost of ownership, streamlines administration, and promotes rapid resumption of operations. SentinelOne's next-generation endpoint protection (NGEP) incorporated in Progent's Active Security Monitoring was listed by Gartner Group as the "most visionary Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)." Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, dealer, and integrator. Find out about Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring (ASM) next-generation endpoint protection and ransomware defense with SentinelOne technology.
- Negotiation with the threat actor (TA): Progent is experienced in negotiating settlements with threat actors. This requires working closely with the ransomware victim and the cyber insurance carrier, if there is one. Activities consist of establishing the kind of ransomware involved in the assault; identifying and establishing communications the hacker persona; testing decryption capabilities; deciding on a settlement with the victim and the insurance provider; negotiating a settlement amount and timeline with the TA; confirming compliance with anti-money laundering regulations; carrying out the crypto-currency transfer to the TA; receiving, reviewing, and operating the decryption tool; troubleshooting failed files; building a pristine environment; mapping and reconnecting datastores to match exactly their pre-encryption condition; and reprovisioning computers and software services.
- Forensics: This activity involves learning the ransomware attack's progress throughout the network from beginning to end. This audit trail of how a ransomware assault progressed within the network assists you to assess the impact and uncovers gaps in rules or processes that should be rectified to prevent later break-ins. Forensics entails the review of all logs, registry, Group Policy Object (GPO), AD, DNS, routers, firewalls, schedulers, and core Windows systems to detect anomalies. Forensics is commonly assigned a high priority by the cyber insurance provider. Since forensics can be time consuming, it is vital that other important activities such as business resumption are pursued concurrently. Progent has an extensive team of information technology and security experts with the skills required to carry out activities for containment, business resumption, and data recovery without interfering with forensics.
Progent's Qualifications
Progent has delivered online and on-premises IT services throughout the U.S. for over 20 years and has earned Microsoft's Gold Partner designation in the Datacenter and Cloud Productivity practice areas. Progent's roster of subject matter experts includes consultants who have earned high-level certifications in core technology platforms including Cisco infrastructure, VMware, and popular Linux distros. Progent's data security consultants have earned internationally recognized certifications such as CISM, CISSP-ISSAP, CRISC, and CMMC 2.0. (Refer to certifications earned by Progent consultants). Progent also offers guidance in financial management and Enterprise Resource Planning application software. This scope of skills gives Progent the ability to salvage and consolidate the undamaged pieces of your network following a ransomware attack and rebuild them rapidly into a functioning network. Progent has worked with top cyber insurance providers including Chubb to assist businesses recover from ransomware assaults.
Contact Progent for Ransomware System Recovery Expertise in Corpus Christi
For ransomware cleanup consulting in the Corpus Christi area, call Progent at 800-462-8800 or visit Contact Progent.