Appleton Ransomware Defense and Cleanup Expertise

Ransomware has become the weapon of choice for cybercriminals and rogue states, representing a potentially existential threat to businesses that are victimized. Current variations of crypto-ransomware target everything, including backup, making even selective restoration a long and expensive process. New versions of ransomware such as Ryuk, Maze, Sodinokibi, Mailto (aka Netwalker), Phobos, LockBit and Nephilim have emerged, replacing Locky, Spora, and CryptoWall in notoriety, sophistication, and destructive impact.

90% of crypto-ransomware infections are caused by innocent-seeming emails with malicious hyperlinks or attachments, and a high percentage are so-called "zero-day" strains that elude the defenses of traditional signature-based antivirus filters. While user training and up-front detection are important to defend your network against ransomware attacks, best practices dictate that you assume some attacks will eventually get through and that you implement a strong backup solution that enables you to repair the damage rapidly with little if any losses.

Progent's ProSight Ransomware Vulnerability Assessment is an ultra-affordable service built around a remote discussion with a Progent cybersecurity expert skilled in ransomware protection and recovery. During this assessment Progent will cooperate with your Appleton IT managers to gather pertinent data concerning your security setup and backup processes. Progent will use this information to produce a Basic Security and Best Practices Assessment detailing how to follow leading practices for configuring and administering your security and backup systems to prevent or recover from a crypto-ransomware attack.

Progent's Basic Security and Best Practices Assessment highlights vital areas related to ransomware defense and restoration recovery. The report addresses:

Security

• Correct use of admin accounts
• Appropriate NTFS and SMB (Server Message Block) permissions
• Optimal firewall settings
• Secure Remote Desktop Protocol access
• Advice about AntiVirus tools selection and configuration

• Split permission architecture for backup integrity
• Backing up key servers including AD
• Offsite backups with cloud backup to Microsoft Azure

About Ransomware
Ransomware is a variety of malicious software that encrypts or deletes a victim's files so they are unusable or are made publicly available. Crypto-ransomware sometimes locks the target's computer. To avoid the damage, the victim is required to send a specified amount of money (the ransom), usually in the form of a crypto currency such as Bitcoin, within a short period of time. It is not guaranteed that delivering the extortion price will restore the lost files or prevent its exposure to the public. Files can be altered or erased across a network based on the target's write permissions, and you cannot break the strong encryption technologies used on the hostage files. A typical ransomware delivery package is tainted email, whereby the target is lured into interacting with by a social engineering exploit known as spear phishing. This makes the email to look as though it came from a familiar source. Another popular vulnerability is an improperly secured Remote Desktop Protocol port.

CryptoLocker opened the modern era of ransomware in 2013, and the damage attributed to by the many versions of ransomware is said to be billions of dollars annually, roughly doubling every other year. Famous attacks are Locky, and NotPetya. Recent headline threats like Ryuk, Maze and TeslaCrypt are more sophisticated and have wreaked more havoc than older strains. Even if your backup/recovery processes allow you to restore your ransomed files, you can still be threatened by so-called exfiltration, where ransomed data are made public. Because additional variants of ransomware are launched daily, there is no certainty that conventional signature-matching anti-virus filters will block the latest malware. If threat does appear in an email, it is critical that your end users have been taught to be aware of phishing techniques. Your last line of protection is a sound process for scheduling and keeping offsite backups plus the deployment of reliable restoration tools.

Ask Progent About the ProSight Crypto-Ransomware Readiness Evaluation in Appleton
For pricing details and to learn more about how Progent's ProSight Ransomware Preparedness Review can bolster your protection against ransomware in Appleton, call Progent at 800-462-8800 or see Contact Progent.