Ransomware Hot Line: 800-462-8800
24x7 Online Help from a Senior Ransomware Engineer
Ransomware needs time to work its way through a network. Because of this, ransomware attacks are commonly unleashed on weekends and at night, when IT staff are likely to take longer to recognize a break-in and are least able to mount a rapid and coordinated defense. The more lateral movement ransomware can make inside a victim's network, the more time it takes to recover 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 you to carry out the urgent first step in mitigating a ransomware attack by containing the malware. Progent's remote ransomware engineers can assist organizations in the Southlake metro area to identify and isolate breached servers and endpoints and protect undamaged resources from being penetrated.
If your network 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 Available in Southlake
Modern variants of ransomware like Ryuk, Maze, DopplePaymer, and Egregor encrypt online data and attack any available system restores. Data synched to the cloud can also be impacted. For a vulnerable network, this can make automated recovery almost impossible and basically sets the datacenter back to square one. Threat Actors (TAs), the hackers responsible for ransomware attack, insist on a ransom payment for the decryption tools required to recover scrambled files. Ransomware attacks also attempt to steal (or "exfiltrate") files and hackers require an additional settlement for not publishing this data or selling it. Even if you are able to restore your network to an acceptable date in time, exfiltration can pose a major problem depending on the nature of the downloaded information.
The restoration process after a ransomware penetration has a number of distinct stages, the majority of which can be performed in parallel if the recovery workgroup has a sufficient number of people with the required experience.
- Quarantine: This time-critical initial response involves blocking the lateral spread of ransomware across your IT system. The more time a ransomware attack is allowed to go unrestricted, the more complex and more costly the recovery effort. Because of this, Progent maintains a 24x7 Ransomware Hotline staffed by veteran ransomware recovery engineers. Containment processes include cutting off infected endpoints from the rest of network to minimize the contagion, documenting the environment, and securing entry points.
- System continuity: This covers bringing back the network to a minimal useful level of functionality with the least downtime. This process is usually the top priority for the targets of the ransomware attack, who often see it as a life-or-death issue for their company. This activity also demands the broadest array of IT abilities that span domain controllers, DHCP servers, physical and virtual servers, desktops, laptops and mobile phones, databases, office and mission-critical applications, network topology, and secure remote access management. Progent's recovery experts use advanced collaboration tools to coordinate the multi-faceted recovery process. Progent understands the importance of working rapidly, tirelessly, and in concert with a customer's managers and network support staff to prioritize activity and to put critical resources back online as quickly as possible.
- Data restoration: The work required to recover data damaged by a ransomware attack varies according to the condition of the network, the number of files that are affected, and which recovery techniques are needed. Ransomware assaults can take down critical databases which, if not gracefully shut down, may need to be reconstructed from the beginning. This can apply to DNS and AD databases. Exchange and SQL Server rely on Active Directory, and many financial and other mission-critical platforms depend on Microsoft SQL Server. Some detective work could be required to locate undamaged data. For example, non-encrypted Outlook Email Offline Folder Files may exist on employees' PCs and laptops that were off line at the time of the ransomware assault. Progent's Altaro VM Backup experts can assist you to deploy immutable backup for cloud object storage, allowing tamper-proof data for a set duration so that backup data cannot be erased or modified by anyone including administrators or root users. Immutable storage provides an extra level of security and recoverability in case of a ransomware breach.
- Deploying advanced AV/ransomware protection: Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring uses SentinelOne's machine learning technology to offer small and medium-sized businesses the benefits of the same anti-virus technology deployed by some of the world's largest enterprises such as Netflix, Citi, and Salesforce. By providing in-line malware filtering, classification, mitigation, restoration and analysis in a single integrated platform, Progent's ASM lowers TCO, simplifies management, and expedites resumption of operations. SentinelOne's next-generation endpoint protection engine built into in Progent's Active Security Monitoring was ranked by Gartner Group as the industry's "most visionary Endpoint Protection Platform." Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, reseller, and integrator. Learn about Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring (ASM) next-generation endpoint protection and ransomware defense with SentinelOne technology.
- Negotiating a settlement with the threat actor (TA): Progent has experience negotiating ransom settlements with hackers. This calls for close co-operation with the ransomware victim and the insurance carrier, if there is one. Activities include establishing the kind of ransomware used in the assault; identifying and making contact with the hacker persona; testing decryption capabilities; deciding on a settlement with the victim and the insurance carrier; establishing a settlement and timeline with the hacker; checking compliance with anti-money laundering sanctions; carrying out the crypto-currency payment to the TA; acquiring, reviewing, and operating the decryptor tool; debugging decryption problems; creating a clean environment; remapping and connecting drives to reflect exactly their pre-encryption condition; and recovering computers and software services.
- Forensics: This process involves discovering the ransomware assault's storyline throughout the targeted network from start to finish. This audit trail of the way a ransomware assault travelled through the network assists your IT staff to assess the impact and brings to light weaknesses in policies or processes that should be rectified to prevent future breaches. Forensics entails the examination of all logs, registry, Group Policy Object (GPO), Active Directory (AD), DNS servers, routers, firewalls, schedulers, and core Windows systems to look for changes. Forensic analysis is commonly assigned a high priority by the cyber insurance provider. Since forensics can take time, it is critical that other important activities like business continuity are pursued concurrently. Progent maintains an extensive roster of IT and data security professionals with the knowledge and experience required to carry out activities for containment, business continuity, and data recovery without interfering with forensics.
Progent's Background
Progent has provided online and onsite network services across the U.S. for over 20 years and has been awarded Microsoft's Gold Partner designation in the Datacenter and Cloud Productivity practice areas. Progent's roster of subject matter experts includes professionals who have earned advanced certifications in core technologies such as Cisco networking, VMware virtualization, and popular Linux distros. Progent's data security experts have earned industry-recognized certifications such as CISA, CISSP, and CRISC. (See certifications earned by Progent consultants). Progent also has top-tier support in financial and ERP software. This scope of skills allows Progent to identify and integrate the surviving pieces of your IT environment following a ransomware attack and rebuild them quickly into a functioning system. Progent has collaborated with leading insurance carriers including Chubb to assist businesses clean up after ransomware assaults.
Contact Progent for Ransomware Cleanup Services in Southlake
For ransomware cleanup consulting in the Southlake area, call Progent at 800-462-8800 or see Contact Progent.