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Ransomware : Your Crippling Information Technology Catastrophe
Ransomware has become a modern cyberplague that poses an extinction-level danger for organizations unprepared for an attack. Different versions of ransomware like the Reveton, Fusob, Bad Rabbit, NotPetya and MongoLock cryptoworms have been out in the wild for many years and still inflict destruction. The latest versions of ransomware like Ryuk, Maze, Sodinokibi, Netwalker, LockBit or Nephilim, as well as daily unnamed viruses, not only encrypt on-line data but also infiltrate any accessible system restores and backups. Files synchronized to cloud environments can also be held hostage. In a poorly designed system, it can render any recovery useless and effectively sets the entire system back to square one.

Recovering services and information after a crypto-ransomware outage becomes a race against the clock as the targeted organization tries its best to stop the spread, remove the crypto-ransomware, and resume mission-critical operations. Because ransomware needs time to spread, assaults are often sprung during nights and weekends, when attacks typically take more time to detect. This compounds the difficulty of quickly assembling and orchestrating a qualified mitigation team.

Progent makes available an assortment of support services for securing organizations from crypto-ransomware attacks. These include team education to help recognize and not fall victim to phishing attempts, ProSight Active Security Monitoring (ASM) for remote monitoring and management, plus installation of modern security appliances with machine learning technology from SentinelOne to identify and disable day-zero cyber threats quickly. Progent also provides the services of seasoned ransomware recovery consultants with the track record and perseverance to re-deploy a compromised network as soon as possible.

Progent's Crypto-Ransomware Restoration Support Services
After a ransomware event, sending the ransom demands in cryptocurrency does not ensure that distant criminals will respond with the codes to decipher all your files. Kaspersky Labs estimated that 17% of crypto-ransomware victims never restored their information even after having sent off the ransom, resulting in increased losses. The gamble is also expensive. Ryuk ransoms are commonly several hundred thousand dollars. For larger enterprises, the ransom can reach millions of dollars. The fallback is to setup from scratch the vital parts of your Information Technology environment. Absent access to full information backups, this calls for a wide complement of skills, well-coordinated team management, and the capability to work non-stop until the recovery project is finished.

For twenty years, Progent has made available professional Information Technology services for companies throughout the U.S. and has achieved Microsoft's Partnership certification status in the Datacenter and Cloud Productivity competencies. Progent's pool of subject matter experts includes consultants who have attained high-level certifications in leading technologies like Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, and major distributions of Linux. Progent's cyber security specialists have garnered internationally-recognized certifications including CISM, CISSP, ISACA CRISC, GIAC, and CMMC 2.0. (Refer to Progent's certifications). Progent also has expertise in financial systems and ERP application software. This breadth of expertise provides Progent the capability to rapidly identify critical systems and integrate the surviving parts of your Information Technology environment following a ransomware event and rebuild them into a functioning system.

Progent's ransomware team uses best of breed project management tools to coordinate the sophisticated recovery process. Progent understands the urgency of working quickly and in unison with a client's management and Information Technology resources to prioritize tasks and to get critical services back online as fast as possible.

Client Case Study: A Successful Crypto-Ransomware Penetration Recovery
A client hired Progent after their company was attacked by the Ryuk ransomware. Ryuk is believed to have been created by North Korean state sponsored cybercriminals, suspected of adopting strategies leaked from the United States NSA organization. Ryuk seeks specific organizations with little or no tolerance for disruption and is one of the most profitable iterations of ransomware viruses. High publicized targets include Data Resolution, a California-based info warehousing and cloud computing firm, and the Chicago Tribune. Progent's client is a single-location manufacturing business located in Chicago with around 500 workers. The Ryuk penetration had frozen all company operations and manufacturing capabilities. Most of the client's system backups had been on-line at the time of the attack and were destroyed. The client was pursuing financing for paying the ransom (exceeding $200,000) and praying for good luck, but ultimately reached out to Progent.

Progent worked with the customer to quickly get our arms around and prioritize the critical services that needed to be recovered to make it possible to continue business functions:

• Active Directory
• Microsoft Exchange
• Accounting and Manufacturing Software

In less than 2 days, Progent was able to rebuild Active Directory services to its pre-attack state. Progent then accomplished setup and storage recovery on key systems. All Exchange Server data and attributes were intact, which accelerated the restore of Exchange. Progent was able to assemble local OST files (Microsoft Outlook Off-Line Data Files) on user PCs and laptops to recover mail messages. A not too old offline backup of the customer's financials/MRP software made it possible to recover these required programs back available to users. Although a large amount of work remained to recover totally from the Ryuk damage, critical systems were returned to operations quickly:

During the next month key milestones in the restoration project were accomplished in tight collaboration between Progent team members and the customer:

• In-house web applications were brought back up without losing any information.
• The MailStore Server exceeding four million archived emails was brought on-line and accessible to users.
• CRM/Product Ordering/Invoicing/Accounts Payable/Accounts Receivables/Inventory Control functions were fully operational.
• A new Palo Alto Networks 850 security appliance was installed and configured.
• 90% of the desktop computers were back into operation.

Conclusion
A probable business catastrophe was dodged due to results-oriented experts, a broad array of subject matter expertise, and tight teamwork. Although upon completion of forensics the ransomware attack detailed here would have been blocked with advanced cyber security systems and security best practices, user education, and well thought out security procedures for information backup and keeping systems up to date with security patches, the fact is that government-sponsored cybercriminals from China, North Korea and elsewhere are tireless and are an ongoing threat. If you do fall victim to a crypto-ransomware virus, feel confident that Progent's team of experts has proven experience in crypto-ransomware virus defense, remediation, and data restoration.

To review or download a PDF version of this customer story, please click:
Progent's Ryuk Incident Recovery Case Study Datasheet. (PDF - 282 KB)

Additional Crypto-Ransomware Protection Services Offered by Progent
Progent can provide businesses in Fargo a range of online monitoring and security evaluation services to help you to reduce the threat from crypto-ransomware. These services incorporate modern AI technology to detect zero-day strains of ransomware that can get past legacy signature-based security products.

• ProSight LAN Watch: Server and Desktop Remote Monitoring
  ProSight LAN Watch is Progent's server and desktop monitoring service that incorporates state-of-the-art remote monitoring and management (RMM) technology to help keep your IT system running efficiently by checking the state of vital assets that drive your information system. When ProSight LAN Watch detects a problem, an alarm is transmitted immediately to your designated IT personnel and your Progent engineering consultant so that all potential problems can be resolved before they can impact your network. Find out more details about ProSight LAN Watch server and desktop remote monitoring consulting.

• ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM: Unified RMM Solution for Networks, Servers, and Workstations
  ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM software offers a centralized, cloud-driven solution for monitoring and managing your network, server, and desktop devices by providing tools for streamlining common tedious tasks. These include health monitoring, patch management, automated repairs, endpoint configuration, backup and restore, anti-virus protection, secure remote access, built-in and custom scripts, asset inventory, endpoint status reports, and debugging support. When ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM identifies a serious issue, it transmits an alert to your designated IT personnel and your assigned Progent technical consultant so emerging issues can be fixed before they interfere with your network. Learn more about ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM server and desktop remote monitoring consulting.

• ProSight WAN Watch: Infrastructure Remote Monitoring and Management
  ProSight WAN Watch is a network infrastructure management service that makes it simple and inexpensive for small and mid-sized organizations to map out, track, optimize and troubleshoot their connectivity appliances like routers, firewalls, and load balancers as well as servers, endpoints and other networked devices. Using state-of-the-art Remote Monitoring and Management technology, WAN Watch makes sure that infrastructure topology diagrams are always updated, captures and displays the configuration of almost all devices on your network, monitors performance, and sends alerts when issues are detected. By automating complex management and troubleshooting processes, ProSight WAN Watch can knock hours off common tasks like making network diagrams, reconfiguring your network, finding devices that need important software patches, or resolving performance bottlenecks. Find out more details about ProSight WAN Watch infrastructure management services.

• ProSight Reporting: Real-time Reporting for Ticketing and Network Monitoring Applications
  ProSight Reporting is an expanding line of real-time management reporting plug-ins designed to integrate with the top ticketing and network monitoring programs including ConnectWise Manage, ConnectWise Automate, Customer Thermometer, Auvik, and SentinelOne. ProSight Reporting uses Microsoft Graph and utilizes color coding to highlight and contextualize critical issues such as inconsistent support follow-up or machines with missing patches. By exposing ticketing or network health concerns clearly and in near-real time, ProSight Reporting enhances productivity, reduces management hassle, and saves money. For more information, see ProSight Reporting for ticketing and network monitoring applications.

• ProSight Data Protection Services: Backup and Disaster Recovery Services
  Progent has partnered with leading backup software companies to produce ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS), a selection of subscription-based management outsourcing plans that deliver backup-as-a-service. ProSight DPS products automate and track your data backup operations and enable transparent backup and fast recovery of important files, apps, system images, and virtual machines. ProSight DPS lets you recover from data loss caused by hardware breakdown, natural calamities, fire, cyber attacks like ransomware, human error, ill-intentioned employees, or software glitches. Managed backup services available in the ProSight DPS product family include ProSight Altaro VM Backup, ProSight 365 Total Backup (formerly Altaro 365 Backup), ProSight DPS ECHO Backup using Barracuda purpose-built storage, and ProSight MSP360 Cloud and On-prem Backup. Your Progent consultant can help you to determine which of these fully managed services are best suited for your network.

• ProSight Email Guard: Inbound and Outbound Spam Filtering and Data Leakage Protection
  ProSight Email Guard is Progent's spam filtering and email encryption service that incorporates the infrastructure of leading information security companies to provide centralized management and comprehensive protection for all your email traffic. The powerful structure of Email Guard combines cloud-based filtering with an on-premises gateway device to provide advanced protection against spam, viruses, Denial of Service Attacks, DHAs, and other email-borne threats. Email Guard's cloud filter acts as a first line of defense and blocks the vast majority of unwanted email from reaching your network firewall. This reduces your vulnerability to external attacks and conserves network bandwidth and storage. Email Guard's onsite gateway appliance provides a deeper layer of inspection for incoming email. For outgoing email, the onsite security gateway offers AV and anti-spam protection, DLP, and email encryption. The on-premises security gateway can also assist Microsoft Exchange Server to monitor and protect internal email traffic that originates and ends within your security perimeter. For more information, visit ProSight Email Guard spam filtering and data leakage protection.

• ProSight Duo Multi-Factor Authentication: ID Confirmation, Endpoint Remediation, and Secure Single Sign-on (SSO)
  Progent's Duo MFA services incorporate Cisco's Duo technology to defend against stolen passwords through the use of two-factor authentication (2FA). Duo supports one-tap identity confirmation on iOS, Google Android, and other out-of-band devices. With Duo 2FA, whenever you sign into a protected application and give your password you are requested to verify who you are via a device that only you possess and that uses a different network channel. A broad range of out-of-band devices can be used as this added form of authentication including a smartphone or wearable, a hardware token, a landline phone, etc. You can register several verification devices. For more information about ProSight Duo two-factor identity validation services, visit Cisco Duo MFA two-factor authentication services.

• Outsourced/Co-managed Service Desk: Call Center Managed Services
  Progent's Help Center services permit your IT group to offload Call Center services to Progent or divide activity for support services seamlessly between your internal network support group and Progent's extensive roster of certified IT service technicians, engineers and subject matter experts. Progent's Co-managed Service Desk provides a smooth extension of your in-house network support group. End user interaction with the Help Desk, delivery of support services, problem escalation, ticket generation and updates, efficiency measurement, and management of the support database are cohesive regardless of whether incidents are resolved by your corporate network support group, by Progent, or by a combination. Find out more about Progent's outsourced/co-managed Call Desk services.

• Progent Active Defense Against Ransomware: AI-based Ransomware Identification and Remediation
  Progent's Active Protection Against Ransomware is an endpoint protection managed service that incorporates next generation behavior analysis tools to defend endpoint devices as well as physical and virtual servers against new malware assaults like ransomware and file-less exploits, which easily escape legacy signature-based anti-virus tools. Progent ASM services safeguard local and cloud resources and provides a unified platform to address the complete threat progression including filtering, infiltration detection, containment, cleanup, and forensics. Top features include single-click rollback with Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service and automatic network-wide immunization against new attacks. Learn more about Progent's ransomware protection and recovery services.

• ProSight IT Asset Management: Network Documentation Management
  ProSight IT Asset Management service is an IT infrastructure documentation management service that allows you to capture, maintain, retrieve and safeguard data about your network infrastructure, procedures, applications, and services. You can instantly locate passwords or IP addresses and be warned automatically about impending expirations of SSLs or warranties. By updating and organizing your IT documentation, you can save up to half of time wasted trying to find critical information about your IT network. ProSight IT Asset Management features a centralized location for storing and sharing all documents related to managing your network infrastructure like recommended procedures and self-service instructions. ProSight IT Asset Management also offers a high level of automation for gathering and associating IT data. Whether you're planning improvements, doing maintenance, or reacting to a crisis, ProSight IT Asset Management gets you the data you require the instant you need it. Read more about ProSight IT Asset Management service.

• Progent's Patch Management: Patch Management Services
  Progent's managed services for software and firmware patch management provide businesses of any size a flexible and cost-effective alternative for evaluating, testing, scheduling, applying, and documenting updates to your dynamic information network. Besides optimizing the protection and functionality of your IT environment, Progent's patch management services allow your IT team to focus on line-of-business projects and activities that derive the highest business value from your network. Learn more about Progent's patch management services.

• ProSight Virtual Hosting: Hosted VMs at Progent's Tier III Data Center
  With ProSight Virtual Hosting service, a small or mid-size organization can have its key servers and applications hosted in a secure Tier III data center on a fast virtual machine host configured and maintained by Progent's network support professionals. With the ProSight Virtual Hosting model, the customer retains ownership of the data, the operating system software, and the applications. Because the system is virtualized, it can be ported easily to an alternate hosting environment without requiring a time-consuming and technically risky reinstallation process. With ProSight Virtual Hosting, you are not tied one hosting service. Learn more about ProSight Virtual Hosting services.

• ProSight Active Security Monitoring: Endpoint Protection and Ransomware Defense
  ProSight Active Security Monitoring (ASM) is an endpoint protection solution that utilizes SentinelOne's cutting edge behavior-based analysis technology to guard physical and virtual endpoint devices against modern malware assaults such as ransomware and email phishing, which routinely evade legacy signature-matching AV tools. ProSight ASM safeguards local and cloud resources and provides a unified platform to address the entire malware attack progression including protection, identification, containment, remediation, and post-attack forensics. Key capabilities include single-click rollback using Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service and real-time network-wide immunization against newly discovered threats. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, reseller, and integrator. Read more about Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring (ASM) next-generation endpoint protection and ransomware recovery.

• ProSight Enhanced Security Protection: Endpoint Protection and Exchange Filtering
  ProSight Enhanced Security Protection managed services deliver economical multi-layer security for physical servers and VMs, workstations, mobile devices, and Microsoft Exchange. ProSight ESP utilizes adaptive security and advanced machine learning for continuously monitoring and reacting to cyber threats from all attack vectors. ProSight ESP offers two-way firewall protection, penetration alerts, device management, and web filtering through leading-edge tools packaged within one agent accessible from a single control. Progent's data protection and virtualization consultants can assist your business to design and configure a ProSight ESP environment that addresses your company's specific needs and that helps you demonstrate compliance with government and industry data protection regulations. Progent will help you specify and configure security policies that ProSight ESP will enforce, and Progent will monitor your network and respond to alarms that call for urgent attention. Progent's consultants can also assist you to set up and verify a backup and restore solution such as ProSight Data Protection Services so you can get back in business quickly from a potentially disastrous cyber attack like ransomware. Learn more about Progent's ProSight Enhanced Security Protection unified physical and virtual endpoint security and Microsoft Exchange email filtering.