Ransomware : Your Worst Information Technology Nightmare
Ransomware  Remediation ExpertsRansomware has become a modern cyber pandemic that poses an extinction-level danger for organizations vulnerable to an assault. Multiple generations of ransomware like the CryptoLocker, WannaCry, Locky, NotPetya and MongoLock cryptoworms have been running rampant for many years and continue to inflict harm. The latest strains of ransomware such as Ryuk, Maze, Sodinokibi, Netwalker, Snatch or Egregor, as well as frequent as yet unnamed malware, not only do encryption of on-line data but also infiltrate all configured system backup. Information synchronized to cloud environments can also be ransomed. In a vulnerable data protection solution, it can render automated restore operations impossible and basically sets the datacenter back to zero.

Recovering applications and data after a ransomware event becomes a sprint against time as the targeted business fights to contain, cleanup the ransomware, and restore mission-critical activity. Because crypto-ransomware takes time to spread, assaults are often sprung on weekends, when attacks are likely to take longer to uncover. This multiplies the difficulty of quickly marshalling and organizing a capable response team.

Progent provides a range of help services for securing enterprises from ransomware attacks. These include user training to help identify and not fall victim to phishing scams, ProSight Active Security Monitoring for remote monitoring and management, along with deployment of next-generation security appliances with AI technology from SentinelOne to detect and extinguish day-zero cyber threats intelligently. Progent in addition offers the assistance of expert ransomware recovery engineers with the track record and commitment to restore a breached system as urgently as possible.

Progent's Ransomware Restoration Support Services
After a crypto-ransomware attack, sending the ransom in cryptocurrency does not ensure that cyber hackers will return the codes to unencrypt any of your information. Kaspersky ascertained that seventeen percent of ransomware victims never recovered their files 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 organizations, the ransom demand can reach millions. The alternative is to piece back together the key parts of your IT environment. Absent access to complete system backups, this requires a wide complement of skills, professional team management, and the capability to work 24x7 until the task is complete.

For decades, Progent has offered professional Information Technology services for businesses throughout the U.S. and has earned Microsoft's Partnership certification status in the Datacenter and Cloud Productivity competencies. Progent's pool of subject matter experts includes engineers who have been awarded high-level industry certifications in leading technologies like Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, and major distributions of Linux. Progent's cybersecurity specialists have garnered internationally-renowned certifications including CISA, CISSP-ISSAP, CRISC, SANS GIAC, and CMMC 2.0. (Visit Progent's certifications). Progent also has experience with financial management and ERP applications. This breadth of experience gives Progent the skills to efficiently ascertain critical systems and integrate the remaining pieces of your Information Technology system after a ransomware penetration and configure them into an operational network.

Progent's security team of experts deploys best of breed project management systems to coordinate the sophisticated restoration process. Progent understands the importance of working rapidly and in unison with a customer's management and Information Technology resources to assign priority to tasks and to put critical services back on-line as soon as humanly possible.

Case Study: A Successful Ransomware Attack Restoration
A small business engaged Progent after their network system was brought down by Ryuk ransomware virus. Ryuk is believed to have been developed by North Korean government sponsored cybercriminals, possibly using technology exposed from the U.S. National Security Agency. Ryuk attacks specific businesses with little room for operational disruption and is among the most lucrative iterations of crypto-ransomware. Well Known organizations include Data Resolution, a California-based data warehousing and cloud computing company, and the Chicago Tribune. Progent's client is a single-location manufacturing company headquartered in the Chicago metro area with around 500 employees. The Ryuk attack had shut down all company operations and manufacturing processes. The majority of the client's information backups had been online at the time of the intrusion and were eventually encrypted. The client was pursuing financing for paying the ransom (more than two hundred thousand dollars) and hoping for good luck, but in the end utilized Progent.


"I cannot tell you enough in regards to the help Progent gave us during the most stressful period of (our) company's life. We would have paid the cyber criminals if it wasn't for the confidence the Progent experts provided us. That you were able to get our e-mail and key servers back in less than a week was beyond my wildest dreams. Every single consultant I got help from or e-mailed at Progent was urgently focused on getting our company operational and was working day and night on our behalf."

Progent worked with the customer to rapidly identify and prioritize the most important elements that had to be restored to make it possible to continue departmental functions:

  • Windows Active Directory
  • Microsoft Exchange Email
  • Accounting and Manufacturing Software
To get going, Progent adhered to AV/Malware Processes event response best practices by isolating and removing active viruses. Progent then started the process of rebuilding Windows Active Directory, the core of enterprise environments built upon Microsoft technology. Exchange email will not function without Active Directory, and the businesses' financials and MRP system utilized SQL Server, which needs Active Directory for access to the data.

Within two days, Progent was able to rebuild Active Directory services to its pre-penetration state. Progent then accomplished setup and storage recovery on essential applications. All Exchange Server schema and attributes were usable, which accelerated the rebuild of Exchange. Progent was also able to locate local OST data files (Outlook Offline Folder Files) on staff desktop computers in order to recover email messages. A not too old offline backup of the businesses accounting systems made them able to recover these required applications back servicing users. Although significant work remained to recover fully from the Ryuk event, core systems were recovered rapidly:


"For the most part, the production operation ran fairly normal throughout and we did not miss any customer shipments."

During the following couple of weeks critical milestones in the restoration project were achieved through close cooperation between Progent team members and the client:

  • Internal web sites were brought back up with no loss of information.
  • The MailStore Server containing more than 4 million historical messages was restored to operations and accessible to users.
  • CRM/Orders/Invoicing/Accounts Payable (AP)/Accounts Receivables/Inventory capabilities were fully operational.
  • A new Palo Alto Networks 850 firewall was installed and configured.
  • Most of the desktop computers were being used by staff.

"A huge amount of what occurred in the early hours is nearly entirely a blur for me, but I will not forget the commitment each and every one of you accomplished to give us our company back. I have entrusted Progent for the past 10 years, maybe more, and each time Progent has come through and delivered. This event was a testament to your capabilities."

Conclusion
A possible enterprise-killing disaster was avoided by dedicated professionals, a wide spectrum of knowledge, and close teamwork. Although upon completion of forensics the ransomware incident described here should have been identified and disabled with modern security technology and NIST Cybersecurity Framework best practices, staff education, and properly executed incident response procedures for data backup and proper patching controls, the reality remains that government-sponsored cybercriminals from China, North Korea and elsewhere are relentless and will continue. If you do get hit by a crypto-ransomware incident, remember that Progent's team of professionals has a proven track record in ransomware virus defense, cleanup, and data recovery.


"So, to Darrin, Matt, Aaron, Dan, Claude, Jesse, Arnaud, Allen, Tony and Chris (along with others that were contributing), I'm grateful for letting me get rested after we made it through the initial push. All of you did an fabulous job, and if any of your guys is in the Chicago area, a great meal is my treat!"

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 Crypto-Ransomware Protection Services Offered by Progent
Progent offers businesses in Monterey a variety of online monitoring and security evaluation services to help you to reduce your vulnerability to ransomware. These services include modern artificial intelligence capability to detect zero-day variants of ransomware that are able to escape detection by traditional signature-based security products.

  • ProSight LAN Watch: Server and Desktop Remote Monitoring
    ProSight LAN Watch is Progent's server and desktop monitoring managed service that uses advanced remote monitoring and management technology to help keep your IT system operating efficiently by checking the state of vital assets that power your business network. When ProSight LAN Watch detects an issue, an alarm is sent automatically to your designated IT personnel and your assigned Progent consultant so that all looming issues can be resolved before they can impact productivity. Find out more about ProSight LAN Watch server and desktop remote monitoring services.

  • ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM: Unified RMM Solution for Networks, Servers, and Desktops
    ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM software offers a unified, cloud-based solution for managing your network, server, and desktop devices by offering an environment for streamlining common tedious tasks. These can include health monitoring, update management, automated remediation, endpoint configuration, backup and recovery, anti-virus protection, secure remote access, standard and custom scripts, resource inventory, endpoint profile reports, and troubleshooting support. If ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM identifies a serious incident, it sends an alarm to your specified IT management staff and your Progent technical consultant so emerging problems can be taken care of before they impact your network. Learn more details about ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM server and desktop monitoring consulting.

  • ProSight WAN Watch: Network Infrastructure Remote Monitoring and Management
    ProSight WAN Watch is an infrastructure management service that makes it simple and affordable for small and mid-sized businesses to map out, track, enhance and troubleshoot their networking appliances like switches, firewalls, and load balancers plus servers, client computers and other devices. Incorporating state-of-the-art Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) technology, ProSight WAN Watch ensures that network maps are kept updated, copies and displays the configuration of virtually all devices on your network, monitors performance, and generates notices when issues are detected. By automating tedious management processes, ProSight WAN Watch can cut hours off ordinary tasks such as network mapping, reconfiguring your network, finding devices that require important software patches, or resolving performance bottlenecks. Learn more details about ProSight WAN Watch network infrastructure management services.

  • ProSight Reporting: In-depth Reporting for Ticketing and Network Monitoring Applications
    ProSight Reporting is a growing suite of real-time and in-depth management reporting tools designed to integrate with the leading ticketing and network monitoring platforms such as ConnectWise Manage, ConnectWise Automate, Customer Thermometer, Auvik, and SentinelOne. ProSight Reporting incorporates Microsoft Graph and utilizes color coding to highlight and contextualize key issues like spotty support follow-up or machines with out-of-date AVs. By exposing ticketing or network health concerns concisely and in near-real time, ProSight Reporting improves network value, reduces management hassle, and saves money. For more information, see ProSight Reporting for ticketing and network monitoring applications.

  • ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS): Backup and Disaster Recovery Services
    Progent has partnered with advanced backup/restore software providers to produce ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS), a selection of management offerings that deliver backup-as-a-service (BaaS). ProSight DPS services automate and track your backup processes and enable transparent backup and rapid recovery of critical files/folders, apps, images, and VMs. ProSight DPS lets your business protect against data loss caused by equipment breakdown, natural disasters, fire, cyber attacks such as ransomware, human error, malicious insiders, or software bugs. Managed services available in the ProSight DPS portfolio include ProSight Altaro VM Backup, ProSight 365 Total Backup (formerly Altaro 365 Backup), ProSight ECHO Backup using Barracuda purpose-built hardware, and ProSight MSP360 Hybrid Backup. Your Progent expert can help you to identify which of these managed backup 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 top data security companies to deliver web-based management and world-class protection for your inbound and outbound email. The hybrid structure of Progent's Email Guard managed service combines a Cloud Protection Layer with an on-premises gateway device to offer complete protection against spam, viruses, Dos Attacks, DHAs, and other email-borne malware. Email Guard's cloud filter serves as a first line of defense and keeps most threats from reaching your security perimeter. This reduces your exposure to inbound attacks and conserves system bandwidth and storage. Email Guard's on-premises gateway appliance provides a deeper layer of inspection for inbound email. For outbound email, the on-premises security gateway provides anti-virus and anti-spam protection, policy-based Data Loss Prevention, and email encryption. The local gateway can also assist Microsoft Exchange Server to monitor and protect internal email that originates and ends within your security perimeter. For more information, see ProSight Email Guard spam and content filtering.

  • ProSight Duo Two-Factor Authentication: ID Confirmation, Endpoint Remediation, and Secure Single Sign-on (SSO)
    Progent's Duo MFA managed services incorporate Cisco's Duo technology to defend against stolen passwords by using two-factor authentication (2FA). Duo supports one-tap identity verification with iOS, Android, and other personal devices. With Duo 2FA, when you log into a secured online account and enter your password you are asked to verify your identity via a device that only you possess and that uses a different ("out-of-band") network channel. A wide range of devices can be utilized for this added means of ID validation such as an iPhone or Android or wearable, a hardware token, a landline phone, etc. You can designate multiple verification devices. To learn more about ProSight Duo identity authentication services, refer to Duo MFA two-factor authentication (2FA) services for access security.

  • Progent's Outsourced/Shared Call Center: Support Desk Managed Services
    Progent's Call Center services allow your information technology staff to offload Call Center services to Progent or split responsibilities for Service Desk support seamlessly between your internal support resources and Progent's nationwide pool of IT service engineers and subject matter experts (SMEs). Progent's Co-managed Help Desk Service offers a seamless extension of your core network support organization. User interaction with the Help Desk, provision of support, problem escalation, ticket generation and tracking, performance metrics, and maintenance of the service database are consistent regardless of whether incidents are resolved by your internal support organization, by Progent's team, or both. Read more about Progent's outsourced/shared Call Desk services.

  • Progent Active Defense Against Ransomware: Machine Learning-based Ransomware Identification and Remediation
    Progent's Active Defense Against Ransomware is an endpoint protection managed service that incorporates cutting edge behavior-based machine learning tools to guard endpoints and physical and virtual servers against new malware attacks such as ransomware and file-less exploits, which easily evade traditional signature-matching AV products. Progent ASM services protect local and cloud resources and offers a single platform to automate the entire threat lifecycle including blocking, infiltration detection, containment, cleanup, and forensics. Key features include single-click rollback using Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) and real-time network-wide immunization against newly discovered threats. Read more about Progent's ransomware defense and cleanup services.

  • ProSight IT Asset Management: Network Documentation Management
    ProSight IT Asset Management service is a cloud-based IT documentation management service that allows you to capture, update, find and safeguard data related to your IT infrastructure, processes, applications, and services. You can quickly find passwords or serial numbers and be warned about impending expirations of SSLs or domains. By cleaning up and organizing your IT infrastructure documentation, you can eliminate as much as 50% of time wasted looking for vital information about your IT network. ProSight IT Asset Management includes a centralized location for storing and collaborating on all documents related to managing your business network such as standard operating procedures and self-service instructions. ProSight IT Asset Management also supports advanced automation for gathering and relating IT data. Whether you're planning enhancements, performing regular maintenance, or responding to a crisis, ProSight IT Asset Management delivers the knowledge you require the instant you need it. Find out more about ProSight IT Asset Management service.

  • Progent's Patch Management: Software/Firmware Update Management Services
    Progent's support services for patch management provide businesses of any size a versatile and cost-effective solution for evaluating, validating, scheduling, applying, and documenting updates to your dynamic IT system. In addition to maximizing the protection and reliability of your computer network, Progent's patch management services permit your IT staff to focus on line-of-business projects and activities that deliver the highest business value from your information network. Find out more about Progent's software/firmware update management support services.

  • ProSight Virtual Hosting: Hosted VMs at Progent's World-class Data Center
    With ProSight Virtual Hosting service, a small business can have its critical servers and apps hosted in a secure fault tolerant data center on a fast virtual host set up and maintained by Progent's network support experts. Under Progent's ProSight Virtual Hosting model, the client owns the data, the operating system platforms, and the apps. Since the system is virtualized, it can be ported immediately to an alternate hosting environment without requiring a lengthy and technically risky reinstallation procedure. With ProSight Virtual Hosting, you are not tied one hosting service. Learn more details about ProSight Virtual Hosting services.

  • ProSight Active Security Monitoring: Endpoint Protection and Ransomware Defense
    ProSight Active Security Monitoring (ASM) is an endpoint protection (EPP) solution that incorporates SentinelOne's cutting edge behavior-based machine learning tools to guard physical and virtual endpoints against new malware assaults like ransomware and file-less exploits, which easily get by legacy signature-based AV tools. ProSight Active Security Monitoring protects on-premises and cloud resources and offers a unified platform to manage the complete threat lifecycle including blocking, identification, containment, remediation, and post-attack forensics. Top capabilities include one-click rollback with Windows VSS and automatic system-wide immunization against new attacks. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, dealer, and integrator. Learn more about Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring next-generation endpoint protection and ransomware defense.

  • ProSight Enhanced Security Protection: Physical and Virtual Endpoint Protection and Microsoft Exchange Filtering
    Progent's ProSight Enhanced Security Protection managed services deliver affordable in-depth security for physical and virtual servers, workstations, mobile devices, and Microsoft Exchange. ProSight ESP utilizes contextual security and advanced machine learning for continuously monitoring and reacting to security assaults from all vectors. ProSight ESP delivers two-way firewall protection, intrusion alerts, device control, and web filtering via cutting-edge tools incorporated within one agent managed from a unified control. Progent's data protection and virtualization consultants can assist you to design and configure a ProSight ESP environment that addresses your organization's specific requirements and that helps you achieve and demonstrate compliance with government and industry information protection regulations. Progent will assist you specify and implement security policies that ProSight ESP will manage, and Progent will monitor your IT environment and react to alarms that require urgent action. Progent's consultants can also help your company to set up and test a backup and disaster recovery solution such as ProSight Data Protection Services so you can get back in business quickly from a potentially disastrous security attack such as ransomware. Find out more about Progent's ProSight Enhanced Security Protection unified physical and virtual endpoint protection and Exchange email filtering.
For 24x7 Monterey CryptoLocker Recovery Experts, reach out to Progent at 800-462-8800 or go to Contact Progent.