Ransomware Attacks are on the Rise

Ransomware Attacks are on the Rise

As a business owner, the news of an increases in ransomware attacks overwhelms us.

Companies big and small are getting defrauded out of millions of dollars every day. The good news is that most of the threats are preventable. It takes a bit of planning, investment, and team effort to put protections in place.

First, we are going to talk about your weakest link. Often, the weakest link in our security is people; our employees, and us. As it relates to the ability of your people to recognize threats, education is the most crucial aspect of your defense. 

Most of the entry points for ransomware are suspicious e-mails, links to infected websites, or attachments. To combat the problem, we recommend cybersecurity awareness programs. In addition, employees with computer access need a clear and understandable security policy to follow. This knowledge will give your users the ability to prevent breaches.

We recognize that humans make mistakes and have weak moments, particularly when in a rush to get something done or fatigued. We recommend the use of security tools that use artificial intelligence. They remove suspicious e-mails. They also alert your users that something is not right with the e-mail they received.

Passwords are also one of the most significant problems end-users faces.

Weak passwords, reused passwords, and shared passwords are the delight of any hacker. Another threat is the sticky note taped to your computer screen. Also, a black book of passwords that is in your upper right-hand drawer. Passwords with at least 10 characters, comprised of upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols will take (at the time of this writing) 928 years to crack.

Remembering passwords is hard for some people. For these people, a password manager such as Passportal or Keeper are great solutions. Services that alert IT managers about compromised passwords can also prove to be useful. These types of services can scour the credentials for sale on the dark web.

Other tools you should be using in your network are obvious to most modern users, managed antivirus/antispam. Restricted Internet access through web technologies gives users only privileges to access company resources related to their job. Also, a commercial quality firewall must be in place for all modern businesses.

Finally, backup is critical.

Test system backups. They are vital in ensuring that data is recoverable. Be sure that the solution you use has protection in place, so they do not get corrupted. Consider how fast you can get back to work after all your files get encrypted because time is money.

If you are unsure if you have these boxes checked, do not know exactly how to approach a security plan, or worry about being a victim of a hacker then please schedule an assessment today at 877-686-6642.

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