Two thousand and eighteen is the year of ransomware. According to the 2018 Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report, while malware and hacking breaches have been on a slight decline for the last year, the use of ransomware has skyrocketed. Criminals attracted to ease of use, minimal risk, and high hit rate associated with ransomware have flocked to the strategy in droves, costing small businesses across America millions of dollars in the process. About $301 million to be exact, as stated in Datto's 2017 State of the Channel Ransomware Report.
But, of course, businesses aren't the only organizations that have been hit by the ransomware epidemic. Just ask the city of Atlanta, whose systems were frozen by ransomware in late March of this year, locked behind a $50,000 Bitcoin deposit. One interesting component of the case is that, regardless of whether or not the city was actually prepared to pay the ransom, it seems they didn't even have the opportunity. Hackers took down the payment portal not long after the breach, leaving Atlanta officials swinging in the wind. As officials scrambled to restore city programs' basic functions, it only took two weeks to amass a staggering $2.6 million bill — a figure that officials expect to climb another $9.5 million over the coming year.
Even if you're not one of the ten biggest cities in the United States, cybercriminals cast a wide net — most of the time, it's more profitable to target dozens of virtually unprotected, smaller organizations than to draw the ire of big fish like the US government. If you were a small-time criminal, would you rather break into ten high-end, unlocked homes abandoned by vacationing tenants, or pull a single, endlessly complicated Ocean's Eleven-style heist? Attackers generally follow the path of least resistance. Your business is just that.
So, what do you do in response? Toughen up your barriers, tighten up your processes and enlist your entire staff in the battle against ransomware. Skip the bargain-bin antivirus and put your money into solutions that will actually stop the bad guys. It's not a one-and-done approach; you need a multilayered strategy that closes the gaps as they appear.
Ransomware attackers don't just steal your data; they lock you out of it. So the best way to make your organization ransomware-proof is to make sure a ransomware breach won't affect your day-to-day operations. That means regular backups, and lots of them, scattered throughout your primary network in places that won't be compromised by the spreading malware. Additionally, adding Advanced Endpoint Protections with Ransomware Rollback to the mix means that when ransomware hits, all you need to do is hunt down the source, delete it and roll the entire system back.
The vast majority of ransomware attacks happen through phishing e-mails, which means employees usually open the gates that let in the malware. More than half of all cyber-attacks are caused by the negligence of low-level team members. Luckily, it's easy to train your team to stay vigilant for the signs of digital scams and put procedures in place to prevent them from ever clicking on shady links.
Of course, the best way to keep ransomware at bay is by putting a skilled team on the case. Unlike an isolated IT employee, a managed security services provider, like Aurora InfoTech, has the combined know-how and professional resources to proactively manage your network security, implementing systems that will make it all but impossible for ransomware to penetrate your data. To truly seal up all the holes in your digital security, it takes a complex, comprehensive strategy combined with a team of certified professionals. Bring us, the experts, in to ensure your business doesn't become another statistic in the age of digital crime.
The 7 Most Critical Business IT Security Protections
Free Report outlines the 7 Most Critical IT Security Protections Every Orlando Business Must Have In Place To Protect Against Cybercrimes, Data Breaches & Hacker Attacks
Cybercrime is at an all-time high, and hackers are setting their sights on small and medium businesses who are “low hanging fruit.” Don’t be their next victim! This report will get you started in protecting everything you’ve worked so hard to build
Concerned about the security status of your business IT network? We can help… Call us to schedule A FREE Consultation. Aurora InfoTech is a premier managed services provider specializing in both network security and information technology. Give us a call today at (407) 995-6766 to discuss your network security concerns and learn more about how we can help you secure your business IT network.
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Roy Richardson
Managing Partner & Co-Founder
Roy Richardson is a co-founder, Managing Partner, and CTO of Aurora InfoTech LLC, a leading Cybersecurity & IT consulting firm in Orlando, Florida. He is also a co-author of the Amazon Bestselling book, "Hack Proof Your Business", a Cybersecurity guide for business owners & executive leadership.
Roy has 20+ years of executive management & engineering experience in the Cybersecurity, Information Technology, and Telecommunication industries. The vast experience he gained over the course of his career has given him a unique perspective that allows him to relate to a broad spectrum of business & technology challenges.
