Ransomware Hot Line: 800-462-8800
24x7 Online Access to a Senior Ransomware Consultant
Ransomware needs time to work its way through a network. For this reason, ransomware attacks are commonly unleashed on weekends and late at night, when IT staff are likely to be slower to become aware of a breach and are least able to organize a rapid and coordinated defense. The more lateral progress ransomware is able to achieve within a target's network, the longer it takes to restore core operations and damaged files and the more information can be exfiltrated to the dark web.
Progent's Ransomware Hot Line is designed to assist organizations to carry out the time-critical first step in responding to a ransomware attack by stopping the bleeding. Progent's remote ransomware engineers can assist businesses in the Milwaukee area to identify and isolate infected devices and protect clean resources from being compromised.
If your network has been breached 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 Milwaukee
Current variants of crypto-ransomware like Ryuk, Sodinokibi, DopplePaymer, and Nephilim encrypt online files and infiltrate any available system restores. Files synched to the cloud can also be impacted. For a poorly defended environment, this can make system restoration nearly impossible and basically throws the IT system back to the beginning. Threat Actors, the cybercriminals responsible for ransomware assault, insist on a ransom payment for the decryptors needed to recover scrambled files. Ransomware attacks also try to exfiltrate information and TAs require an additional ransom for not posting this information or selling it. Even if you can rollback your network to a tolerable point in time, exfiltration can pose a big issue depending on the sensitivity of the downloaded data.
The restoration work subsequent to ransomware penetration has a number of distinct stages, the majority of which can proceed in parallel if the response team has enough members with the required skill sets.
- Quarantine: This time-critical initial response requires arresting the sideways progress of the attack within your IT system. The more time a ransomware attack is permitted to go unchecked, the more complex and more costly the restoration effort. Because of this, Progent keeps a round-the-clock Ransomware Hotline monitored by seasoned ransomware recovery engineers. Containment activities include cutting off infected endpoints from the network to minimize the contagion, documenting the environment, and protecting entry points.
- System continuity: This involves bringing back the IT system to a minimal useful degree of functionality with the least downtime. This effort is typically the top priority for the victims of the ransomware attack, who often perceive it to be an existential issue for their business. This activity also requires the widest array of technical skills that cover domain controllers, DHCP servers, physical and virtual servers, PCs, notebooks and smart phones, databases, productivity and line-of-business apps, network topology, and secure endpoint access management. Progent's ransomware recovery experts use state-of-the-art workgroup tools to coordinate the complex restoration process. Progent appreciates the importance of working rapidly, tirelessly, and in unison with a client's managers and IT staff to prioritize tasks and to put vital services back online as fast as possible.
- Data recovery: The work necessary to restore files damaged by a ransomware assault varies according to the state of the network, the number of files that are affected, and which restore techniques are needed. Ransomware attacks can destroy pivotal databases which, if not carefully closed, might need to be reconstructed from scratch. 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 depend on SQL Server. Some detective work may be needed to find clean data. For instance, non-encrypted OST files may exist on staff PCs and laptops that were not connected during the assault.
- Implementing advanced antivirus/ransomware defense: Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring uses SentinelOne's behavioral analysis technology to offer small and medium-sized businesses the benefits of the same anti-virus technology used by some of the world's biggest corporations including Netflix, Citi, and NASDAQ. By delivering real-time malware blocking, classification, containment, recovery and forensics in one integrated platform, Progent's ASM lowers TCO, streamlines administration, and expedites operational continuity. SentinelOne's next-generation endpoint protection (NGEP) built into in Progent's Active Security Monitoring was ranked by Gartner Group as the "most visionary Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)." Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, reseller, and integrator. Read about Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring endpoint protection and ransomware recovery with SentinelOne technology.
- Negotiating a settlement with the hacker Progent is experienced in negotiating ransom settlements with threat actors. This requires working closely with the ransomware victim and the cyber insurance provider, if there is one. Services include establishing the type of ransomware involved in the assault; identifying and making contact with the hacker persona; verifying decryption tool; deciding on a settlement amount with the ransomware victim and the insurance provider; negotiating a settlement amount and schedule with the hacker; checking compliance with anti-money laundering (AML) regulations; carrying out the crypto-currency transfer to the TA; receiving, reviewing, and using the decryptor tool; troubleshooting decryption problems; creating a pristine environment; mapping and reconnecting drives to reflect precisely their pre-attack condition; and restoring physical and virtual devices and services.
- Forensics: This activity is aimed at uncovering the ransomware assault's progress throughout the network from start to finish. This audit trail of the way a ransomware attack travelled within the network helps your IT staff to evaluate the damage and highlights vulnerabilities in rules or work habits that need to be corrected to avoid future break-ins. Forensics entails the examination of all logs, registry, Group Policy Object, AD, DNS, routers, firewalls, schedulers, and basic Windows systems to check for changes. Forensic analysis is typically given a high priority by the cyber insurance carrier. Since forensic analysis can take time, it is essential that other key recovery processes like business continuity are pursued in parallel. Progent maintains a large roster of information technology and security experts with the knowledge and experience required to carry out the work of containment, operational resumption, and data restoration without disrupting forensics.
Progent's Background
Progent has delivered remote and on-premises network services throughout the United States for over 20 years and has earned Microsoft's Gold Partner certification in the Datacenter and Cloud Productivity practice areas. Progent's team of subject matter experts includes professionals who have earned advanced certifications in foundation technology platforms including Cisco infrastructure, VMware, and major distributions of Linux. Progent's data security consultants have earned industry-recognized certifications such as CISA, CISSP-ISSAP, and CRISC. (Refer to certifications earned by Progent consultants). Progent also has top-tier support in financial management and Enterprise Resource Planning software. This scope of expertise gives Progent the ability to identify and consolidate the undamaged parts of your IT environment following a ransomware assault and rebuild them rapidly into an operational network. Progent has worked with leading insurance carriers including Chubb to assist businesses recover from ransomware assaults.
Contact Progent for Ransomware System Recovery Expertise in Milwaukee
For ransomware recovery consulting services in the Milwaukee area, phone Progent at 800-462-8800 or see Contact Progent.