Page 91 - Cyber Warnings

Can Your Company Protect Itself From Ransomware?

Ransomware attacks are a frightening prospect for any business, but education and backups
can take the sting out of ramsonware's tail

Consider the position your company would be in if it suddenly lost access to its data. Every
email, customer record, document, and business plan — all gone in the blink of an eye. Many
businesses would be out of business if that happened. Revenue streams will dry up.

Staff will sit twiddling their thumbs or be sent home. This scenario is a nightmare for any
business owner, and it's exactly what happens during a ransomware attack.

Ransomware is a brutal type of cyberattack in which a company's files are encrypted. The
attackers demand payment in exchange for the key that will decrypt the data.

Once your files are encrypted, there is nothing you can do to get them back short of paying the
ransom. You may have heard stories of successful data recovery by security experts, but it's a
mistake to bet on that. Ransomware has become increasingly sophisticated and the flaws that
were present in early versions have been removed.

The encryption technology used is extremely powerful — the sort of stuff the NSA can't crack.

However, there are ways to protect your company by both reducing the chances of a successful
ransomware attack and being prepared in case your data is encrypted.

Educate Your Employees

In order to carry out a ransomware attack, the attacker needs to get malware into the company's
network. The attacker might exploit weaknesses in the network to gain access, but the majority
of ransomware attacks start with either a phishing email or a malware site visited by an
employee.

Employees are the front-line of any company's security. That doesn't include only system
administrators, IT professionals, and network engineers.

It includes everyone, because any employee can click on a link in a phishing email or
accidentally visit a malware-laden site.

Companies should make sure that all employees with access to computers inside the company
network understand the risks of clicking links in suspicious emails and that every email should
be viewed with suspicion.

91 Cyber Warnings E-Magazine – August 2016 Edition
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