Page 81 - Cyber Warnings

Pain Points

Consider the difficulty of dealing with ransomware.

Limitations of Signature-Based Detection

John Galda adds, “The problem with current malware solutions is that they are signature-
based.” Only when somebody is attacked and the malware code retrieved and analyzed does
the signature become known and is finally added by security vendors to their updates.

Ransomware attackers are betting on being able to “harvest” the ransom before the
ransomware count-down timer hits no time left (i.e., pay up or lose all your data).

Should I Pay the Ransom?

Apparently, many companies would rather pay the ransom than go through the lengthy data
analysis and recovery. Another sore point is that the authorities and courts will probably never
catch the bad guys. The malware might be retrievable, but identifying a signature may be
fruitless since the malware can so easily be modified.

The common victim mindset during an attack is that “I need it now” and “I don’t want to pay the
attacker.” But the time is running out before all data will be lost. And restoring the infected
system is going to take a while. In the end, without any immediate response plan in place, the
company may need to pay the attacker.

There are ways to reduce the risk of a successful ransomware attack. These include educating
your employees, assessing your data assets associated risk, creating and practicing a recovery
plan, and building better understanding with other management about common security risks
and strategy.

Educate and Share Best Practices

At the SC Congress Boston, John Galda sat on the Ransomware panel, which noted the
importance of in educating employees, partners, and customers about good security practices in
non-technical terms to help mitigate not only threats from outside but also from within. Top
suggestions include:

• Schedule on-going backups of critical data
• Share good security hygiene
• Set up strict change control and access
• Schedule application scanning
• Purchase cyber insurance
• Perform risk assessments
81 Cyber Warnings E-Magazine November 2016 Edition
Copyright © Cyber Defense Magazine, All rights reserved worldwide