Chicago Ransomware Prevention and Removal Expertise

Ransomware has been weaponized by the major cyber-crime organizations and rogue states, representing a potentially existential threat to companies that are breached. Modern variations of crypto-ransomware target everything, including backup, making even selective recovery a complex and costly process. New variations of crypto-ransomware like Ryuk, Maze, Sodinokibi, Mailto (aka Netwalker), DopplePaymer, Conti and Nephilim have made the headlines, replacing Locky, Cerber, and CryptoWall in notoriety, sophistication, and destructive impact.

Most crypto-ransomware infections are the result of innocuous-seeming emails that include malicious hyperlinks or file attachments, and many are so-called "zero-day" strains that can escape the defenses of legacy signature-based antivirus filters. Although user training and up-front detection are critical to protect your network against ransomware, best practices dictate that you assume some malware will eventually get through and that you prepare a strong backup mechanism that enables you to restore files and services rapidly with minimal damage.

Progent's ProSight Ransomware Vulnerability Report is an ultra-affordable service built around an online discussion with a Progent security expert experienced in ransomware defense and recovery. In the course of this interview Progent will collaborate directly with your Chicago IT managers to collect pertinent data concerning your security setup and backup environment. Progent will utilize this data to create a Basic Security and Best Practices Assessment documenting how to adhere to leading practices for configuring and administering your security and backup systems to block or recover from a crypto-ransomware assault.

Progent's Basic Security and Best Practices Report focuses on vital issues associated with ransomware prevention and restoration recovery. The report covers:

Security

• Proper use of administration accounts
• Assigning NTFS (New Technology File System) and SMB (Server Message Block) permissions
• Optimal firewall setup
• Secure RDP access
• Guidance for AntiVirus tools selection and deployment

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

About Ransomware
Ransomware is a variety of malicious software that encrypts or steals files so they are unusable or are made publicly available. Ransomware sometimes locks the victim's computer. To prevent the damage, the target is asked to send a specified amount of money (the ransom), usually via a crypto currency such as Bitcoin, within a brief time window. It is never certain that paying the extortion price will restore the damaged files or prevent its publication. Files can be encrypted or deleted across a network depending on the target's write permissions, and you cannot solve the strong encryption algorithms used on the hostage files. A common ransomware delivery package is tainted email, in which the user is lured into responding to by a social engineering technique known as spear phishing. This causes the email to look as though it came from a familiar sender. Another common attack vector is a poorly secured Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) port.

CryptoLocker opened the modern era of ransomware in 2013, and the damage attributed to by different strains of ransomware is estimated at billions of dollars per year, roughly doubling every two years. Notorious examples are Locky, and Petya. Current high-profile threats like Ryuk, DoppelPaymer and Spora are more sophisticated and have wreaked more havoc than older versions. Even if your backup/recovery processes permit you to restore your encrypted data, you can still be threatened by exfiltration, where stolen documents are made public. Because new variants of ransomware crop up every day, there is no certainty that traditional signature-based anti-virus tools will detect the latest attack. If threat does appear in an email, it is important that your users have been taught to be aware of phishing techniques. Your last line of protection is a sound scheme for scheduling and retaining offsite backups and the use of dependable recovery tools.

Contact Progent About the ProSight Crypto-Ransomware Susceptibility Evaluation in Chicago
For pricing information and to learn more about how Progent's ProSight Crypto-Ransomware Readiness Audit can enhance your protection against crypto-ransomware in Chicago, call Progent at 800-462-8800 or visit Contact Progent.