Ransomware is a growing problem for businesses of all sizes, and it’s one that’s not going away any time soon. Each year in Canada, ransomware attacks affect tens of thousands of businesses. Quickly becoming the most prominent type of malware, it’s easy to see why experts predict that ransomware will continue to spread at an alarming rate. The good news is that there are plenty of cybersecurity solutions available to make data loss prevention a simple task for your business.
Today, we’ll provide a complete overview of ransomware – from what it is and how it works to how your enterprise can stay one step ahead of these lethal attacks with Datto’s innovative cybersecurity solutions.
Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts data and then demands payment in exchange for the decryption key. Although there are multiple variants of ransomware, they typically fall under two main types: crypto-ransomware and locker ransomware.
The most well-known and damaging, crypto-ransomware attacks are when criminals encrypt files and data within a system, making the content inaccessible without a decryption key.
Locker ransomware, on the other hand, completely locks users out of the system and prohibits access to all files and applications. The lock screen may also display a ransom demand with a countdown clock to drive potential victims to act.
Regardless of the strain, ransomware is a criminal act triggered by financial gain. It’s often spread through phishing emails or drive-by downloads that install malicious software on your device without your knowledge.
While implementation details vary from one variant to another, all go through the following three stages:
Ransomware can gain access to your organization’s system in numerous ways. However, ransomware operators do prefer a few specific infection vectors. Phishing emails, for example, are a popular choice among attackers. These emails often contain a link to a website hosting a malicious download or attachment that has downloader functionality built in. Clicking on either will result in the ransomware being downloaded and executed on your system.
Another common infection method takes advantage of Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP). Using RDP, an attacker who’s stolen or guessed an employee’s credentials gains control of a computer within an enterprise network. With this level of access, they can directly download the malware and execute it on the machine under their control.
Once the ransomware has access to the system, it can begin encrypting files. As encryption functionality is built into the operating system this simply involves accessing files, encrypting them with an attacker-controlled key and replacing the originals with the encrypted versions.
Once the file encryption has been completed, a ransom demand is made. This is implemented in a number of ways – from a display background to text files placed in each encrypted directory. The demand is often a set amount of cryptocurrency in exchange for the victim’s files. If paid, the attacker will either provide a copy of the private key or a copy of the symmetric encryption key itself.
Ransomware attacks are one of the most damaging and dangerous cyber threats facing businesses today. But it’s not just large corporations that are targeted by these ruthless attacks – ransomware attacks affect businesses of all sizes.
In truth, small and medium-sized businesses often make for more appealing targets because they have weaker technical safeguards and fewer resources dedicated to IT. To make matters worse, they also tend to be less prepared and lack the resources to recover quickly.
Here are some of the specific ways ransomware can ravage your business.
The toll ransomware takes on businesses is monumental, but there are many solutions that aim to minimize the threat. Some organizations may attempt to prevent ransomware with antivirus software. However, this program fails to stop an attack once it’s unleashed on the system. Hackers over time have also become quite savvy and begun employing methods that are difficult for antivirus software to pick up.
As a result, businesses should instead choose business continuity and disaster recovery solutions. These programs help protect against both physical and digital threats by providing backup systems that allow you to quickly restore your data in the event of an attack and keep your business running smoothly.
Businesses of all sorts rely on the cloud to back up and store vital information. But storing data isn’t enough. You need to protect it, and effective encryption is how it’s done. Encryption plays a vital step in ensuring your company’s data isn’t accessed by unauthorized users. Without it, your data would be susceptible to attacks during storage, transfer, and processing.
The process of encryption changes plain text (data anyone can read) into ciphertext (random letters and numbers) so that it’s impossible to read or interpret without a decryption key. Decryption relies on the use of a cryptographic key, which can be either public- used only to encrypt data- or private, used for both encrypting and decrypting data.
Datto understands the power of a successful encryption system, which is why they use end-to-end, AES 256 and SSL key-based encryption to secure your company’s data during both transmission and storage, which is when it’s most vulnerable. Datto’s solutions optimize two keys, a public key infrastructure for encryption and a private key for decryption.
Datto makes it possible for businesses of all sizes to back up and restore data at any time, shortening downtime in the event of a disaster. It also ensures that all of your data has been backed up or stored and is secured via encryption, thereby keeping it safe from attackers.
Today, small businesses rely on data more than ever. But they’re often stuck choosing between previous backup solutions that fall short and complex, costly solutions that are built for large corporations. That is until now...
The Alto 3 is a fully featured, easy-to-use, and cost-effective business continuity and disaster recovery solution for small businesses (BCDR). Just like your business, Dato Alto 3 is small, yet powerful. To detect ransomware, each backup is monitored for specific patterns and in the event that anything is found, it notifies you immediately. Then you can rewind to a time before the ransomware infected your system – and it couldn’t be simpler! Whether you choose to restore individual files or entire servers, you can expect a quick, user-friendly process.
In addition, the Alto 3 tests your backups automatically to ensure they are ready to restore at any given time – leaving nothing to chance! With this plug-and-play solution, your small business can ensure it’s fully protected against ransomware and minimize downtime.
Every day your business is at risk. No longer are manual daily backups sufficient to ensure your organization can continue running if faced with a ransomware attack. The only way to protect your data and ensure the integrity of your business is to use Datto SIRIS, the ultimate defence against ransomware.
Datto SIRIS is more than just a backup solution. It’s an all-in-one business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) solution built to detect ransomware attacks before they have a chance to wreak havoc on your business. SIRIS monitors and targets specific patterns of ransomware within a single backup, notifies you, and helps you get back to business, without paying a cent in ransom.
To effectively prevent data loss and minimize downtime, SIRIS solutions feature several cutting-edge technologies. Its Inverse Chain Technology™ changes the way backup and recovery are done by allowing for every incremental snapshot to be a fully constructed recovery point. It also features the exclusive Cloud Deletion Defense™, which solves accidental or malicious deletions needed to be recovered.
At JBM Office Systems, we are committed to providing the solutions you need to stay one step ahead of ransomware attacks. As a Datto professional partner, we are fully equipped to help your business survive a cyber-attack.
We understand the importance of protecting your data and keeping your network safe from external threats. With our solutions and expertise, we can provide you with peace of mind that your business is protected against any potential threat. Contact us today or stop by our St. Catharines showroom to learn more about protecting your business with Datto’s solutions.
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