Seven Steps To Prevent Ransomware Attacks

In the first three quarters of 2019, 7.2 billion malware attacks were recorded, including 151.9 million ransomware attacks. Ransomware is a type of malware that denies access to files, company devices and network systems until a monetary demand is paid in bitcoin. The number of attacks surprisingly decreased by 5 percent from last 2018, but they are still a harmful threat to a company. 

According to an article by StateScoop, there are seven ways your company can prevent and limit the impact of ransomware attacks.

1. Practice Thoughtful Backups 
   1. Backing up data is one of the single most effective ways of recovering from a ransomware attack, but it’s important to make sure that your back-ups can’t also be attacked by ransomware Consider storing data offline or on cloud services.  
2. Develop Plans and Policies
   1. Make sure your company isn’t caught off guard during an attack by creating an incident response plan. This plan should include the roles and communications that should be shared during an attack along with a list of contacts of any partners or vendors that would need to be notified. 
3. Review Port Settings
   1. Many ransomware hackers take advantage of remote desktop protocol and server message block systems. See if your company can limit these connections to only trusted hosts or if the ports even need to be open at all.  
4. Harden Your Endpoints
   1. Make sure your company has security in mind when configuring network systems. This can lower your business’s chance of being attacked and close any security gaps leftover from default configurations. 
5. Keep Systems Up-to-Date
   1. Applying the latest updates to your devices and networks will help close security gaps that attackers have already discovered. New ransomware versions continue to appear daily and by turning on auto-updates to help make sure your company has the latest security patches. 
6. Train the team
   1. Train your employees on how to identify a malicious email before opening on a link or downloading an attachment. Security awareness is a key step to stopping ransomware in its tracks. 
7. Implement an IDS
   1. Look for malicious activity through an Intrusion Detection System (IDS). These systems are designed to compare network traffic logs to signatures and are able to detect known malicious activity quickly.

It often takes a company hours to detect and respond to data breaches, but with the right tools and systems in place, it should only take a company 10 minutes to investigate a data breach. Preventing a ransomware attack can be a hard and difficult task to accomplish, but getting your company on the same page is the first step in helping to stop attacks and limit the negative effects of ransomware on your company and your clients.

At MDL Technology, your company’s security is our number one concern. By offering services such as 24/7 support, network monitoring, offsite data backups, auditing and compliance and more we help ensure that you don’t need to stress about your team’s private information becoming public. Learn more about the services we offer by visiting our website.