Ransomware Hot Line: 800-462-8800
24x7 Online Access to a Senior Ransomware Consultant
Ransomware needs time to steal its way through a network. Because of this, ransomware attacks are commonly launched on weekends and late at night, when support personnel are likely to take longer to become aware of a breach and are less able to organize a quick and forceful response. The more lateral progress ransomware is able to make inside a target's system, the more time it will require to restore basic IT services and scrambled files and the more information can be exfiltrated to the dark web.
Progent's Ransomware Hot Line is designed to guide organizations to complete the time-critical first phase in mitigating a ransomware assault by putting out the fire. Progent's online ransomware experts can help businesses in the Lakeland metro area to locate and quarantine infected devices and protect undamaged resources from being compromised.
If your network has been penetrated 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 Lakeland
Current variants of crypto-ransomware like Ryuk, Sodinokibi, Netwalker, and Egregor encrypt online data and invade any available system restores and backups. Data synchronized to the cloud can also be impacted. For a vulnerable network, this can make automated restoration nearly impossible and basically sets the IT system back to the beginning. So-called Threat Actors (TAs), the cybercriminals behind a ransomware assault, insist on a settlement fee in exchange for the decryptors needed to unlock encrypted files. Ransomware attacks also attempt to steal (or "exfiltrate") information and TAs demand an additional settlement for not publishing this information or selling it. Even if you are able to restore your system to an acceptable date in time, exfiltration can be a big problem depending on the sensitivity of the stolen information.
The recovery work subsequent to ransomware penetration has a number of distinct stages, the majority of which can be performed concurrently if the response workgroup has enough people with the necessary skill sets.
- Containment: This urgent first response requires arresting the sideways progress of ransomware within your network. The longer a ransomware assault is allowed to run unchecked, the more complex and more expensive the recovery process. Recognizing this, Progent keeps a round-the-clock Ransomware Hotline monitored by veteran ransomware recovery engineers. Containment processes include isolating affected endpoint devices from the rest of network to minimize the spread, documenting the environment, and protecting entry points.
- System continuity: This involves bringing back the IT system to a basic useful level of capability with the least delay. This process is typically at the highest level of urgency for the victims of the ransomware assault, who often see it as an existential issue for their business. This project also demands the widest range of technical skills that span domain controllers, DHCP servers, physical and virtual servers, PCs, notebooks and mobile phones, databases, office and line-of-business apps, network architecture, and secure endpoint access management. Progent's ransomware recovery experts use advanced workgroup platforms to organize the complex recovery effort. Progent appreciates the importance of working rapidly, tirelessly, and in concert with a client's managers and network support group to prioritize tasks and to get critical services on line again as fast as possible.
- Data recovery: The work required to restore data damaged by a ransomware attack depends on the state of the network, how many files are affected, and which restore methods are needed. Ransomware attacks can destroy key databases which, if not properly closed, might have to be reconstructed from scratch. This can apply to DNS and AD databases. Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft SQL Server rely on Active Directory, and many ERP and other mission-critical platforms depend on SQL Server. Often some detective work may be needed to locate clean data. For example, undamaged Outlook Email Offline Folder Files may have survived on employees' PCs and notebooks that were not connected during the attack. Progent's ProSight Data Protection Services offer Altaro VM Backup technology to defend against ransomware attacks by leveraging Immutable Cloud Storage. This produces tamper-proof data that cannot be modified by any user including administrators.
- Setting up modern AV/ransomware defense: Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring incorporates SentinelOne's machine learning technology to offer small and medium-sized companies the benefits of the same anti-virus tools used by some of the world's biggest corporations such as Netflix, Citi, and Salesforce. By providing real-time malware blocking, classification, mitigation, restoration and analysis in one integrated platform, ProSight Active Security Monitoring lowers total cost of ownership, simplifies administration, 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." 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 hacker Progent has experience negotiating ransom settlements with hackers. This calls for working closely with the victim and the cyber insurance provider, if there is one. Activities consist of establishing the kind of ransomware used in the attack; identifying and establishing communications the hacker; testing decryption capabilities; deciding on a settlement with the victim and the insurance provider; establishing a settlement and schedule with the TA; checking adherence to anti-money laundering (AML) sanctions; carrying out the crypto-currency disbursement to the TA; acquiring, reviewing, and using the decryption utility; debugging failed files; building a clean environment; mapping and connecting drives to reflect precisely their pre-attack state; and recovering computers and services.
- Forensic analysis: This process involves discovering the ransomware attack's storyline throughout the network from beginning to end. This history of the way a ransomware assault progressed through the network helps your IT staff to evaluate the damage and brings to light shortcomings in security policies or work habits that need to be rectified to avoid later breaches. Forensics entails the examination of all logs, registry, GPO, AD, DNS, routers, firewalls, schedulers, and basic Windows systems to detect variations. Forensic analysis is commonly assigned a top priority by the insurance provider. Because forensic analysis can take time, it is vital that other key activities like operational continuity are performed concurrently. Progent maintains a large team of IT and data security professionals with the skills required to carry out the work of containment, operational resumption, and data recovery without disrupting forensics.
Progent's Background
Progent has delivered online and on-premises network services across the United States for more than two decades and has earned Microsoft's Gold Partner designation in the Datacenter and Cloud Productivity competencies. Progent's roster of SMEs includes consultants who have earned advanced certifications in foundation technology platforms including Cisco infrastructure, VMware, and major distributions of Linux. Progent's cybersecurity experts have earned internationally recognized certifications such as CISM, CISSP, GIAC, and CMMC 2.0. (See Progent's certifications). Progent also offers top-tier support in financial and Enterprise Resource Planning application software. This broad array of skills gives Progent the ability to identify and consolidate the surviving pieces of your network after a ransomware assault and rebuild them quickly into an operational system. Progent has worked with top cyber insurance carriers including Chubb to assist organizations clean up after ransomware attacks.
Contact Progent for Ransomware Cleanup Expertise in Lakeland
For ransomware system recovery expertise in the Lakeland area, call Progent at 800-462-8800 or go to Contact Progent.