Your Guide to Preparing for Ransomware Attacks

No matter the type or size of the company, any organization is susceptible to ransomware attacks. The best way to protect your employees, data, and the integrity of your company is to take advanced cybersecurity precautions. Educating yourself on the common methods and the vulnerabilities they target will help you prepare for ransomware attacks.

What is a Ransomware Attack?

Starting with the basics, understanding what your organization is up against is essential to developing an incident response plan. Ransomware is malware designed to deny a user or organization access to data, files, and other items within their network. Typically, cybercriminals will lock this information down by encrypting it and demanding ransom for access.

Hackers may also threaten to expose sensitive company information, which can have terrifying implications. The strongest ransomware attacks are able to bring down hospital servers, cripple city services, and cause the loss of thousands of dollars for stakeholders and companies alike. Learning how to prepare for ransomware attacks starts with identifying the common types and signs.

What are the Common Signs of Ransomware Attacks?

To prevent a major cyber incident, keep some of the following early signs of a cyberattack in mind:

1. Increasingly frequent spam or phishing emails requesting access to sensitive login information
2. Repeated suspicious login activity on company servers
3. Small-scale attacks from cybercriminals that seem to be probing at vulnerable areas in company operating systems
4. Major attempts to disable company servers or a serious extended data breach

While all ransomware attempts to meet the same goal of locking you out of your system and forcing ransom to be paid in order to regain access, there are a few common types of ransomware to be aware of:

• Lockers: This type of ransomware completely locks you out of your system and leaves all files inaccessible. In many cases, a lock screen will likely display the ransom demand and may potentially have features such as a countdown clock that is meant to create stress.
• Scareware: Scareware is a ransomware incident where fake software uploaded onto your company server claims that a virus has been detected and directs you to pay in order for the problem to be resolved. While your data isn’t actually locked down, many may be tricked into paying to get rid of the fake problem. Only use trusted antivirus software and ignore pop-ups from those that are unrecognized.
• Cryptocurrency ransomware: A relatively new type of ransomware, this form encrypts all data and files within a system and requires a decryption key for the unlock to occur.

Regardless of the type of ransomware, taking preventative action instead of waiting for the attack to occur is the best way to prepare.

How to Prepare Against Ransom Attacks

As mentioned, being preemptive is an effective strategy for dealing with malware and cybercriminals in general. By following a few of the below tips, you can better prepare against a ransom attack:

• Practice good security habits: Focus on implementing features such as multi-factor authentication, bolstering your firewall, keeping your operating systems up to date, and more.
• Back up data on a separate server: In the event of data loss or a ransomware attack, having a backup of your data in a different area will allow you to prevent a major slowdown within your organization
• Train your workforce: Your employees are the first line of defense you have against cybercrime. Implementing awareness training at your organization can allow your employees to identify phishing scams, suspicious emails, probing attempts, and other common cyberattacks that can lead to data loss or ransoms.

While the above tips are not foolproof ways of stopping ransomware attacks, they will certainly help bolster your organizational security and make these attacks less effective and common.

Protect Your Organizational Security Today

While any cyberattack can be devastating to the workflow of your business, ransomware attacks can be a particular nuisance. Your entire workflow can be compromised if your organization is forced to pay to have data released. Ensure this does not happen by enhancing your current security and education. If your business is in Columbus, Cleveland, or Akron, and you’re ready to learn how to protect your business from ransomware better, get in touch with our experts today.