Ransomware : Your Crippling Information Technology Nightmare
Ransomware has become an escalating cyber pandemic that represents an existential danger for businesses of all sizes poorly prepared for an assault. Multiple generations of crypto-ransomware like the Dharma, Fusob, Locky, NotPetya and MongoLock cryptoworms have been around for a long time and still inflict havoc. The latest strains of crypto-ransomware such as Ryuk, Maze, Sodinokibi, Netwalker, Conti or Egregor, plus daily unnamed newcomers, not only do encryption of online data files but also infect most configured system protection mechanisms. Data replicated to cloud environments can also be ransomed. In a poorly designed environment, it can make automated restore operations useless and effectively knocks the network back to zero.
Restoring services and information after a ransomware intrusion becomes a race against time as the targeted business struggles to contain, remove the virus, and resume business-critical activity. Since ransomware needs time to spread, attacks are often launched during nights and weekends, when penetrations in many cases take more time to notice. This multiplies the difficulty of quickly assembling and orchestrating an experienced mitigation team.
Progent offers an assortment of services for protecting enterprises from crypto-ransomware attacks. These include team member training to become familiar with and avoid phishing attempts, ProSight Active Security Monitoring (ASM) for remote monitoring and management, plus installation of next-generation security solutions with artificial intelligence capabilities from SentinelOne to identify and extinguish day-zero threats intelligently. Progent also offers the assistance of expert ransomware recovery professionals with the talent and perseverance to restore a breached network as urgently as possible.
Progent's Crypto-Ransomware Restoration Support Services
After a ransomware penetration, sending the ransom in cryptocurrency does not guarantee that cyber hackers will respond with the needed codes to decrypt any of your information. Kaspersky ascertained that 17% of crypto-ransomware victims never recovered their data after having sent off the ransom, resulting in more losses. The risk is also very costly. Ryuk ransoms are commonly several hundred thousand dollars. For larger enterprises, the ransom demand can be in the millions of dollars. The alternative is to re-install the critical elements of your Information Technology environment. Absent access to complete data backups, this requires a broad range of IT skills, well-coordinated project management, and the ability to work non-stop until the job is over.
For two decades, Progent has offered professional Information Technology services for businesses throughout the US and has achieved Microsoft's Partnership certification in the Datacenter and Cloud Productivity competencies. Progent's group of subject matter experts (SMEs) includes consultants who have attained top certifications in leading technologies like Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, and popular distributions of Linux. Progent's security consultants have earned internationally-recognized certifications including CISA, CISSP, ISACA CRISC, GIAC, and CMMC 2.0. (Refer to Progent's certifications). Progent also has expertise in accounting and ERP application software. This breadth of expertise provides Progent the skills to knowledgably ascertain necessary systems and organize the surviving pieces of your IT system following a ransomware event and rebuild them into a functioning network.
Progent's recovery group has state-of-the-art project management systems to coordinate the sophisticated restoration process. Progent understands the urgency of working rapidly and in concert with a client's management and Information Technology staff to prioritize tasks and to get essential systems back online as soon as possible.
Case Study: A Successful Crypto-Ransomware Attack Response
A client escalated to Progent after their network system was brought down by the Ryuk ransomware. Ryuk is thought to have been created by Northern Korean state hackers, possibly adopting strategies leaked from the United States NSA organization. Ryuk seeks specific companies with little ability to sustain operational disruption and is among the most lucrative instances of ransomware. Major targets include Data Resolution, a California-based info warehousing and cloud computing business, and the Chicago Tribune. Progent's customer is a single-location manufacturer headquartered in the Chicago metro area with about 500 workers. The Ryuk event had disabled all company operations and manufacturing processes. The majority of the client's information backups had been directly accessible at the start of the attack and were destroyed. The client was pursuing financing for paying the ransom demand (exceeding $200K) and hoping for the best, but ultimately brought in Progent.
"I cannot speak enough about the support Progent provided us during the most critical time of (our) businesses life. We would have paid the criminal gangs except for the confidence the Progent experts afforded us. That you could get our e-mail and critical servers back faster than 1 week was something I thought impossible. Every single staff member I talked with or messaged at Progent was absolutely committed on getting our company operational and was working non-stop to bail us out."
Progent worked with the client to quickly assess and prioritize the mission critical elements that had to be recovered to make it possible to continue company functions:
- Active Directory
- Exchange Server
- Accounting/MRP
To start, Progent adhered to ransomware incident mitigation industry best practices by stopping lateral movement and removing active viruses. Progent then started the work of bringing back online Microsoft Active Directory, the heart of enterprise environments built on Microsoft Windows technology. Microsoft Exchange messaging will not operate without Active Directory, and the businesses' financials and MRP system utilized Microsoft SQL Server, which depends on Windows AD for access to the data.
Within 2 days, Progent was able to restore Active Directory to its pre-penetration state. Progent then assisted with rebuilding and storage recovery of key applications. All Microsoft Exchange Server schema and attributes were usable, which facilitated the rebuild of Exchange. Progent was also able to assemble local OST data files (Microsoft Outlook Offline Folder Files) on various workstations to recover email messages. A recent off-line backup of the customer's financials/MRP software made them able to restore these required programs back available to users. Although a large amount of work was left to recover totally from the Ryuk damage, critical systems were restored quickly:
"For the most part, the assembly line operation never missed a beat and we produced all customer deliverables."
During the following couple of weeks key milestones in the restoration process were accomplished through tight cooperation between Progent team members and the customer:
- Internal web applications were returned to operation with no loss of data.
- The MailStore Server with over four million archived messages was brought online and accessible to users.
- CRM/Orders/Invoices/AP/AR/Inventory Control capabilities were fully operational.
- A new Palo Alto 850 firewall was deployed.
- Nearly all of the user PCs were back into operation.
"Much of what happened during the initial response is nearly entirely a haze for me, but we will not soon forget the urgency each of the team accomplished to help get our business back. I have entrusted Progent for the past 10 years, maybe more, and every time I needed help Progent has outperformed my expectations and delivered as promised. This event was no exception but maybe more Herculean."
Conclusion
A potential company-ending catastrophe was averted with hard-working professionals, a wide range of knowledge, and tight collaboration. Although in post mortem the ransomware virus attack described here would have been identified and blocked with current cyber security solutions and security best practices, team education, and well designed security procedures for information protection and proper patching controls, the fact remains that state-sponsored cyber criminals from China, Russia, North Korea and elsewhere are relentless and are an ongoing threat. If you do get hit by a ransomware incident, remember that Progent's team of experts has proven experience in ransomware virus blocking, remediation, and data disaster recovery.
"So, to Darrin, Matt, Dan, Claude, Jesse, Arnaud, Allen, Tony and Chris (and any others who were involved), I'm grateful for allowing me to get some sleep after we got through the most critical parts. Everyone did an fabulous job, and if anyone is in the Chicago area, dinner is the least I can do!"
To read or download a PDF version of this ransomware incident report, click:
Progent's Ransomware Incident Recovery Case Study Datasheet. (PDF - 282 KB)
Additional Ransomware Protection Services Available from Progent
Progent can provide businesses in Salinas a portfolio of remote monitoring and security assessment services designed to assist you to reduce your vulnerability to crypto-ransomware. These services incorporate next-generation machine learning capability to uncover zero-day variants of crypto-ransomware that can get past legacy signature-based anti-virus solutions.
- ProSight Active Security Monitoring: Endpoint Protection and Ransomware Defense
ProSight Active Security Monitoring (ASM) is an endpoint protection (EPP) solution that utilizes SentinelOne's cutting edge behavior machine learning tools to defend physical and virtual endpoints against new malware attacks such as ransomware and file-less exploits, which easily escape legacy signature-based anti-virus products. ProSight Active Security Monitoring protects local and cloud-based resources and provides a single platform to address the complete threat lifecycle including filtering, identification, mitigation, remediation, and forensics. Key features include one-click rollback with Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service and real-time network-wide immunization against new attacks. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, dealer, and integrator. Find out more about Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring (ASM) next-generation endpoint protection and ransomware defense.
- ProSight Enhanced Security Protection: Endpoint Security and Microsoft Exchange Filtering
Progent's ProSight Enhanced Security Protection (ESP) services deliver affordable in-depth protection for physical servers and VMs, desktops, mobile devices, and Exchange email. ProSight ESP utilizes contextual security and advanced machine learning for round-the-clock monitoring and responding to cyber assaults from all vectors. ProSight ESP provides two-way firewall protection, penetration alarms, endpoint control, and web filtering through cutting-edge technologies incorporated within a single agent accessible from a single console. Progent's data protection and virtualization experts can assist you to design and implement a ProSight ESP deployment that meets your company's specific needs and that helps you achieve and demonstrate compliance with legal and industry information security regulations. Progent will help you define and implement security policies that ProSight ESP will manage, and Progent will monitor your network and respond to alerts that call for immediate action. Progent's consultants can also assist you to set up and verify a backup and restore solution like ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS) so you can get back in business rapidly from a potentially disastrous security attack like ransomware. Read more about Progent's ProSight Enhanced Security Protection unified endpoint protection and Microsoft Exchange filtering.
- ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS): Managed Backup and Recovery Services
Progent has partnered with advanced backup software companies to produce ProSight Data Protection Services, a portfolio of subscription-based management offerings that deliver backup-as-a-service (BaaS). ProSight DPS services automate and track your data backup operations and enable non-disruptive backup and fast restoration of critical files/folders, applications, system images, and virtual machines. ProSight DPS helps you protect against data loss resulting from equipment failures, natural disasters, fire, malware like ransomware, human error, ill-intentioned employees, or application bugs. Managed services in the ProSight DPS portfolio include ProSight Altaro VM Backup, ProSight 365 Total Backup (formerly Altaro 365 Backup), ProSight DPS ECHO Backup based on Barracuda dedicated storage, and ProSight MSP360 Hybrid Backup. Your Progent expert can assist you to identify which of these managed services are most appropriate for your IT environment.
- ProSight Email Guard: Inbound and Outbound Spam Filtering and Data Leakage Protection
ProSight Email Guard is Progent's spam and virus filtering and email encryption service that incorporates the technology of leading data security companies to provide web-based control and world-class security for all your email traffic. The hybrid structure of Progent's Email Guard managed service combines a Cloud Protection Layer with an on-premises security gateway appliance to offer complete protection against spam, viruses, Denial of Service (DoS) Attacks, Directory Harvest Attacks, and other email-borne threats. The Cloud Protection Layer serves as a preliminary barricade and blocks most unwanted email from making it to your network firewall. This reduces your exposure to inbound attacks and conserves network bandwidth and storage space. Email Guard's on-premises security gateway device adds a further layer of analysis for incoming email. For outgoing email, the local security gateway provides AV and anti-spam filtering, protection against data leaks, and email encryption. The on-premises security gateway can also help Microsoft Exchange Server to monitor and safeguard internal email that stays within your corporate firewall. For more information, see Email Guard spam and content filtering.
- ProSight WAN Watch: Infrastructure Management
ProSight WAN Watch is a network infrastructure management service that makes it simple and affordable for smaller organizations to diagram, monitor, reconfigure and debug their connectivity hardware such as routers and switches, firewalls, and wireless controllers plus servers, printers, client computers and other devices. Incorporating cutting-edge Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) technology, ProSight WAN Watch ensures that infrastructure topology maps are always current, captures and displays the configuration information of virtually all devices on your network, tracks performance, and generates alerts when problems are discovered. By automating complex network management processes, WAN Watch can knock hours off ordinary tasks such as making network diagrams, reconfiguring your network, finding appliances that require important updates, or isolating performance bottlenecks. Find out more details about ProSight WAN Watch network infrastructure management services.
- ProSight LAN Watch: Server and Desktop Monitoring
ProSight LAN Watch is Progent's server and desktop remote monitoring service that incorporates state-of-the-art remote monitoring and management (RMM) technology to help keep your IT system operating at peak levels by tracking the state of critical assets that drive your business network. When ProSight LAN Watch detects a problem, an alarm is sent automatically to your specified IT staff and your assigned Progent engineering consultant so all potential issues can be resolved before they have a chance to impact productivity. Learn more about ProSight LAN Watch server and desktop remote monitoring services.
- ProSight Virtual Hosting: Hosted Virtual Machines at Progent's World-class Data Center
With ProSight Virtual Hosting service, a small business can have its key servers and apps hosted in a secure Tier III data center on a high-performance virtual host set up and managed by Progent's IT support experts. With Progent's ProSight Virtual Hosting model, the customer retains ownership of the data, the OS platforms, and the applications. Since the system is virtualized, it can be moved easily to an alternate hosting solution without requiring a lengthy and technically risky configuration procedure. With ProSight Virtual Hosting, your business is not tied one hosting service. Learn more details about ProSight Virtual Hosting services.
- ProSight IT Asset Management: Network Documentation Management
Progent's ProSight IT Asset Management service is a cloud-based IT documentation management service that makes it easy to create, maintain, find and protect information about your IT infrastructure, procedures, applications, and services. You can quickly find passwords or IP addresses and be warned about impending expirations of SSLs or domains. By cleaning up and managing your network documentation, you can eliminate up to 50% of time spent trying to find vital information about your network. ProSight IT Asset Management includes a common repository for storing and collaborating on all documents required for managing your business network like recommended procedures and self-service instructions. ProSight IT Asset Management also offers advanced automation for gathering and relating IT data. Whether you're planning improvements, doing regular maintenance, or responding to an emergency, ProSight IT Asset Management gets you the information you need as soon as you need it. Find out more about ProSight IT Asset Management service.
- Progent Active Defense Against Ransomware: AI-based Ransomware Identification and Cleanup
Progent's Active Protection Against Ransomware is an endpoint protection managed service that incorporates cutting edge behavior-based analysis technology to defend endpoint devices as well as physical and virtual servers against modern malware attacks like ransomware and file-less exploits, which routinely evade legacy signature-based anti-virus tools. Progent Active Security Monitoring services safeguard on-premises and cloud-based resources and offers a single platform to address the complete threat progression including protection, detection, mitigation, cleanup, and forensics. Top features include one-click rollback with Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service and real-time network-wide immunization against new threats. Read more about Progent's ransomware defense and recovery services.
- Progent's Outsourced/Shared Service Desk: Call Center Managed Services
Progent's Support Center managed services allow your IT group to offload Support Desk services to Progent or split activity for Help Desk services seamlessly between your internal support group and Progent's extensive pool of certified IT service technicians, engineers and subject matter experts. Progent's Co-managed Service Desk offers a seamless extension of your internal support group. Client access to the Help Desk, provision of support services, problem escalation, trouble ticket creation and updates, performance measurement, and maintenance of the support database are cohesive regardless of whether issues are resolved by your corporate IT support staff, by Progent, or a mix of the two. Read more about Progent's outsourced/co-managed Service Center services.
- Patch Management: Software/Firmware Update Management Services
Progent's support services for patch management provide organizations of all sizes a flexible and affordable alternative for evaluating, testing, scheduling, implementing, and tracking updates to your dynamic information network. Besides maximizing the security and reliability of your computer environment, Progent's software/firmware update management services free up time for your in-house IT staff to focus on line-of-business initiatives and activities that derive the highest business value from your information network. Learn more about Progent's software/firmware update management support services.
- ProSight Duo Two-Factor Authentication: ID Confirmation, Endpoint Policy Enforcement, and Secure Single Sign-on (SSO)
Progent's Duo authentication service plans utilize Cisco's Duo cloud technology to protect against stolen passwords through the use of two-factor authentication. Duo supports single-tap identity verification with iOS, Android, and other personal devices. Using 2FA, whenever you sign into a secured online account and give your password you are requested to confirm your identity on a unit that only you have and that is accessed using a separate network channel. A wide range of devices can be utilized as this added means of ID validation such as an iPhone or Android or watch, a hardware/software token, a landline telephone, etc. You may designate several verification devices. For details about ProSight Duo two-factor identity validation services, visit Cisco Duo MFA two-factor authentication services for access security.
- ProSight Reporting: In-depth Reporting for Ticketing and Network Monitoring Platforms
ProSight Reporting is a growing line of in-depth management reporting tools created to integrate with the industry's leading ticketing and network monitoring platforms such as ConnectWise Manage, ConnectWise Automate, Customer Thermometer, Auvik, and SentinelOne. ProSight Reporting uses Microsoft Graph and utilizes color coding to surface and contextualize key issues like spotty support follow-up or endpoints with missing patches. By identifying ticketing or network health problems clearly and in near-real time, ProSight Reporting enhances network value, lowers management hassle, and saves money. For more information, see ProSight Reporting for ticketing and network monitoring applications.
For Salinas 24x7 Ransomware Removal Consulting, reach out to Progent at 800-462-8800 or go to Contact Progent.