Ransomware Hot Line: 800-462-8800
24x7 Online Help from a Senior Ransomware Engineer
Ransomware requires time to work its way through a target network. For this reason, ransomware attacks are commonly unleashed on weekends and late at night, when IT staff may take longer to become aware of a penetration and are less able to mount a quick and coordinated defense. The more lateral progress ransomware is able to achieve inside a victim's system, the longer it will require to restore core IT services and scrambled files and the more data can be exfiltrated to the dark web.
Progent's Ransomware Hot Line is designed to assist you to complete the urgent first phase in responding to a ransomware assault by containing the malware. Progent's remote ransomware engineers can assist businesses in the Lincoln metro area to locate and isolate breached servers and endpoints and protect clean assets from being penetrated.
If your system has been breached 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 Services Offered in Lincoln
Current variants of ransomware such as Ryuk, Maze, DopplePaymer, and Egregor encrypt online files and infiltrate any available system restores and backups. Files synchronized to the cloud can also be corrupted. For a vulnerable environment, this can make system recovery nearly impossible and effectively throws the IT system back to the beginning. So-called Threat Actors (TAs), the hackers responsible for ransomware assault, insist on a settlement fee in exchange for the decryption tools required to recover encrypted data. Ransomware assaults also try to exfiltrate files and hackers demand an extra ransom in exchange for not publishing this data or selling it. Even if you can rollback your system to an acceptable point in time, exfiltration can be a major issue depending on the nature of the downloaded information.
The recovery process after a ransomware penetration has several crucial stages, most of which can be performed concurrently if the recovery team has enough members with the required skill sets.
- Containment: This urgent initial response involves blocking the lateral spread of ransomware across your network. The longer a ransomware assault is allowed to go unrestricted, the more complex and more costly the recovery effort. Recognizing this, Progent keeps a round-the-clock Ransomware Hotline monitored by seasoned ransomware recovery experts. Containment activities consist of isolating affected endpoints from the network to minimize the contagion, documenting the environment, and protecting entry points.
- Operational continuity: This covers bringing back the IT system to a basic acceptable degree of functionality with the shortest possible downtime. This process is typically the top priority for the victims of the ransomware assault, who often perceive it to be a life-or-death issue for their business. This activity also demands the broadest array of IT abilities that cover domain controllers, DHCP servers, physical and virtual servers, desktops, laptops and smart phones, databases, office and mission-critical applications, network topology, and protected endpoint access. Progent's recovery team uses advanced collaboration platforms to coordinate the multi-faceted recovery process. Progent appreciates the urgency of working quickly, continuously, and in unison with a client's management and IT staff to prioritize activity and to get essential services back online as quickly as possible.
- Data restoration: The effort necessary to recover files impacted by a ransomware attack depends on the state of the network, the number of files that are encrypted, and what restore methods are required. Ransomware assaults can destroy critical databases which, if not carefully closed, may need to be reconstructed from the beginning. This can apply to DNS and Active Directory (AD) databases. Microsoft Exchange and SQL Server rely on Active Directory, and many manufacturing and other business-critical applications are powered by Microsoft SQL Server. Some detective work could be needed to locate clean data. For instance, non-encrypted Outlook Email Offline Folder Files may have survived on staff PCs and notebooks that were off line during the ransomware attack.
- Implementing modern antivirus/ransomware protection: Progent's ProSight ASM incorporates SentinelOne's behavioral analysis technology to offer small and medium-sized businesses the advantages of the same AV tools implemented by some of the world's largest enterprises such as Netflix, Visa, and Salesforce. By delivering real-time malware blocking, detection, mitigation, repair and analysis in a single integrated platform, Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring cuts TCO, streamlines management, and promotes rapid recovery. SentinelOne's next-generation endpoint protection engine built into in ProSight ASM was listed by Gartner Group as the "most visionary Endpoint Protection Platform (EPP)." Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, dealer, and integrator. Read 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 is experienced in negotiating settlements with hackers. This requires working closely with the victim and the insurance carrier, if any. Services consist of establishing the type of ransomware involved in the assault; identifying and making contact with the hacker; verifying decryption capabilities; deciding on a settlement with the ransomware victim and the insurance carrier; negotiating a settlement amount and timeline with the TA; confirming adherence to anti-money laundering sanctions; overseeing the crypto-currency disbursement to the hacker; acquiring, learning, and using the decryption utility; debugging decryption problems; creating a clean environment; mapping and connecting drives to reflect precisely their pre-encryption state; and restoring computers and software services.
- Forensics: This activity is aimed at uncovering the ransomware assault's storyline throughout the targeted network from start to finish. This audit trail of how a ransomware attack progressed within the network assists your IT staff to assess the impact and brings to light shortcomings in rules or processes that need to be corrected to avoid later breaches. Forensics entails the examination of all logs, registry, Group Policy Object, Active Directory, DNS, routers, firewalls, schedulers, and basic Windows systems to check for anomalies. Forensics is typically assigned a high priority by the insurance provider. Because forensic analysis can be time consuming, it is critical that other important recovery processes such as operational continuity are pursued in parallel. Progent maintains a large team of information technology and security professionals with the knowledge and experience required to carry out the work of containment, business continuity, and data restoration without disrupting forensics.
Progent's Qualifications
Progent has provided online and on-premises network services across the United States for over 20 years and has earned Microsoft's Gold Partner designation in the Datacenter and Cloud Productivity practice areas. Progent's team of subject matter experts (SMEs) includes consultants who have earned advanced certifications in foundation technology platforms including Cisco infrastructure, VMware virtualization, and major Linux distros. Progent's data security consultants have earned industry-recognized certifications such as CISA, CISSP, and CRISC. (Refer to Progent's certifications). Progent also has top-tier support in financial management and Enterprise Resource Planning software. This scope of expertise allows Progent to salvage and integrate the surviving parts of your information system after a ransomware assault and rebuild them quickly into a viable network. Progent has worked with leading insurance carriers like Chubb to assist businesses recover from ransomware assaults.
Contact Progent for Ransomware Cleanup Services in Lincoln
For ransomware system recovery expertise in the Lincoln metro area, phone Progent at 800-462-8800 or visit Contact Progent.