Chicago Ransomware Defense and Cleanup Expertise

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 unleashed on weekends and late at night, when support 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 progress ransomware is able to achieve inside a target's network, the longer it takes to recover core IT services and scrambled files and the more data can be stolen and posted to the dark web.

Progent's Ransomware Hot Line is intended to assist organizations to take the time-critical first phase in mitigating a ransomware assault by containing the malware. Progent's online ransomware engineers can assist businesses in the Chicago metro area to identify and isolate infected servers and endpoints and guard clean resources from being compromised.

If your network has been penetrated by any strain of ransomware, act fast. Get help quickly by calling Progent's Ransomware Hot Line at 800-462-8800.

Progent's Ransomware Response Expertise Available in Chicago
Modern variants of crypto-ransomware like Ryuk, Maze, Netwalker, and Egregor encrypt online files and infiltrate any accessible backups. Files synched to the cloud can also be corrupted. For a poorly defended network, this can make system recovery almost impossible and basically throws the IT system back to square one. Threat Actors (TAs), the hackers responsible for ransomware attack, insist on a ransom fee for the decryptors needed to unlock scrambled data. Ransomware attacks also try to exfiltrate information and TAs require an additional settlement in exchange for not posting this data or selling it. Even if you can rollback your network to a tolerable point in time, exfiltration can be a big issue depending on the sensitivity of the downloaded information.

The restoration process subsequent to ransomware penetration has several distinct stages, the majority of which can be performed in parallel if the response workgroup has a sufficient number of members with the required skill sets.

• Containment: This urgent first response involves blocking the sideways spread of the attack across your IT system. The longer a ransomware assault is permitted to run unchecked, the longer and more expensive the restoration effort. Recognizing this, Progent maintains a round-the-clock Ransomware Hotline staffed by veteran ransomware recovery engineers. Containment processes consist of isolating affected endpoints from the rest of network to minimize the spread, documenting the environment, and protecting entry points.
• Operational continuity: This involves bringing back the IT system to a basic acceptable level of capability with the least delay. This process is typically the top priority for the victims of the ransomware assault, who often see it as a life-or-death issue for their business. This project also requires the broadest range of technical abilities that cover domain controllers, DHCP servers, physical and virtual servers, PCs, notebooks and smart phones, databases, office and mission-critical apps, network architecture, and secure endpoint access management. Progent's ransomware recovery experts use state-of-the-art collaboration tools to organize the multi-faceted recovery process. Progent understands the importance of working rapidly, continuously, and in unison with a customer's management and IT group to prioritize activity and to get critical resources on line again as fast as possible.
• Data restoration: The effort necessary to restore data impacted by a ransomware assault varies according to the condition of the network, how many files are encrypted, and what recovery techniques are needed. Ransomware attacks can destroy key databases which, if not carefully shut down, may have to be rebuilt from scratch. This can apply to DNS and AD databases. Microsoft Exchange and SQL Server depend on AD, and many ERP and other mission-critical platforms are powered by SQL Server. Some detective work could be required to find clean data. For instance, non-encrypted OST files may exist on employees' PCs and laptops that were not connected during the ransomware attack. Progent's ProSight Data Protection Services utilize Altaro VM Backup tools to protect against ransomware by leveraging Immutable Cloud Storage. This creates tamper-proof backup data that cannot be modified by any user including administrators or root users.
• Setting up modern antivirus/ransomware protection: ProSight ASM utilizes SentinelOne's behavioral analysis technology to offer small and medium-sized businesses the benefits of the same anti-virus tools deployed by some of the world's largest enterprises such as Walmart, Visa, and Salesforce. By delivering in-line malware blocking, identification, containment, restoration and analysis in one integrated platform, ProSight ASM cuts TCO, simplifies management, and expedites recovery. SentinelOne's next-generation endpoint protection engine built into in Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring was listed by Gartner Group as the industry's "most visionary Endpoint Protection Platform." Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, reseller, and integrator. Find out about Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring endpoint protection and ransomware defense with SentinelOne technology.
• Negotiating a settlement with the hacker Progent has experience negotiating settlements with hackers. This calls for close co-operation with the ransomware victim and the cyber insurance carrier, if any. Services consist of establishing the kind of ransomware involved in the attack; identifying and making contact with the hacker; testing decryption tool; budgeting a settlement with the ransomware victim and the cyber insurance carrier; establishing a settlement and timeline with the hacker; checking adherence to anti-money laundering (AML) regulations; overseeing the crypto-currency payment to the hacker; acquiring, learning, and operating the decryption tool; troubleshooting failed files; building a clean environment; mapping and reconnecting drives to reflect precisely their pre-attack state; and recovering computers and services.
• Forensic analysis: This process is aimed at learning the ransomware attack's progress throughout the targeted network from beginning to end. This audit trail of how a ransomware attack travelled through the network helps you to evaluate the impact and highlights shortcomings in policies or processes that should be corrected to prevent later breaches. Forensics entails the examination of all logs, registry, GPO, Active Directory, DNS, routers, firewalls, scheduled tasks, and basic Windows systems to look for changes. Forensics is typically given a top priority by the insurance provider. Because forensic analysis can take time, it is vital that other key recovery processes like operational continuity are performed concurrently. Progent has a large team of information technology and cybersecurity professionals with the skills needed to carry out the work of containment, business resumption, and data restoration without disrupting forensics.

Contact Progent for Ransomware System Recovery Services in Chicago
For ransomware cleanup expertise in the Chicago metro area, call Progent at 800-462-8800 or go to Contact Progent.