New Haven Ransomware Defense and Removal Consulting

Ransomware has become the weapon of choice for cybercriminals and bad-actor states, posing a potentially existential risk to businesses that fall victim. Modern versions of crypto-ransomware go after all vulnerable resources, including online backup, making even partial recovery a challenging and costly process. New versions of ransomware such as Ryuk, Maze, Sodinokibi, Netwalker, Phobos, Conti and Egregor have made the headlines, replacing Locky, Cerber, and CryptoWall in notoriety, elaborateness, and destructiveness.

90% of crypto-ransomware breaches are the result of innocuous-looking emails that include malicious hyperlinks or file attachments, and a high percentage are so-called "zero-day" attacks that can escape the defenses of legacy signature-matching antivirus (AV) filters. Although user training and frontline detection are critical to defend your network against ransomware, leading practices demand that you assume some attacks will inevitably get through and that you put in place a solid backup mechanism that permits you to repair the damage quickly with little if any losses.

Progent's ProSight Ransomware Vulnerability Checkup is a low-cost service centered around an online interview with a Progent cybersecurity consultant skilled in ransomware defense and repair. During this interview Progent will work with your New Haven network managers to collect critical data about your security posture and backup environment. Progent will use this data to create a Basic Security and Best Practices Assessment documenting how to adhere to best practices for configuring and managing your cybersecurity and backup systems to block or clean up after a ransomware assault.

Progent's Basic Security and Best Practices Report focuses on vital issues related to ransomware prevention and restoration recovery. The review addresses:

Cybersecurity

• Correct use of admin accounts
• Correct NTFS and SMB (Server Message Block) authorizations
• Optimal firewall settings
• Secure Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) configuration
• Recommend AntiVirus (AV) filtering identification and deployment

• Split permission architecture for backup protection
• Backing up key servers including AD
• Geographically dispersed backups including cloud backup to Microsoft Azure

About Ransomware
Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts or steals a victim's files so they are unusable or are publicized. Ransomware sometimes locks the victim's computer. To prevent the damage, the target is asked to pay a specified amount of money, typically in the form of a crypto currency such as Bitcoin, within a short time window. There is no guarantee that delivering the extortion price will recover the lost data or avoid its exposure to the public. Files can be altered or erased across a network depending on the target's write permissions, and you cannot solve the strong encryption algorithms used on the compromised files. A common ransomware attack vector is spoofed email, whereby the user is lured into interacting with by means of a social engineering exploit called spear phishing. This causes the email message to appear to come from a trusted source. Another common vulnerability is an improperly secured Remote Desktop Protocol port.

The ransomware variant CryptoLocker ushered in the new age of crypto-ransomware in 2013, and the monetary losses attributed to by the many versions of ransomware is estimated at billions of dollars annually, roughly doubling every two years. Famous attacks are WannaCry, and Petya. Recent headline variants like Ryuk, Sodinokibi and Cerber are more complex and have wreaked more damage than earlier strains. Even if your backup/recovery procedures enable you to restore your encrypted files, you can still be hurt by so-called exfiltration, where stolen data are exposed to the public. Because new versions of ransomware are launched every day, there is no certainty that conventional signature-matching anti-virus filters will detect a new malware. If an attack does show up in an email, it is critical that your end users have learned to be aware of phishing tricks. Your ultimate defense is a solid scheme for scheduling and keeping offsite backups plus the use of reliable recovery tools.

Contact Progent About the ProSight Crypto-Ransomware Readiness Evaluation in New Haven
For pricing information and to find out more about how Progent's ProSight Crypto-Ransomware Readiness Checkup can bolster your protection against ransomware in New Haven, call Progent at 800-462-8800 or see Contact Progent.