Be prepared: Sooner or later your business WILL be attacked – 5 steps to improve your ransomware resilience
Read and Download our new guide – 5 steps to improve your ransomware resilience . We’ll answer all your questions about ransomware. Plus, you’ll discover five steps to improve your business’s ransomware resilience.
Ransomware is the most terrifying data security threat your business has ever faced.
Imagine all your staff trying to log in one morning. But all of them get a bright red screen saying your data has been locked away, and you must pay a huge ransom in Bitcoin to get it back.
Terrifying.
This is a cold hard fact: Ransomware is on the rise.
Here’s a quick Q&A answering the most common questions about it.
What is it?
It’s where hackers break into your network, encrypt your data so you can’t access it, and then charge you a large ransom fee to unlock it. It’s the most disruptive and costly kind of attack you can imagine. And very hard to undo.
Why is it a big deal?
Ransomware attacks are dramatically up thanks to the pandemic. All the urgent changes that businesses went through last year created a perfect storm, with plenty of new opportunities for cybercriminals.
Is my business really at risk?
Thanks to automated tools used by hackers, all businesses are being targeted all the time. In fact, hackers prefer to target small businesses, as they typically invest less time and money into preventative security measures compared to large companies.
How can my business get infected with ransomware?
- 42% of ransomware comes from phishing emails. This is where you get a legitimate-looking email asking you to take a specific action.
- Malicious websites make up 23% of attacks.
- And compromised passwords account for 21% of ransomware attacks.
Why is it so hard to undo?
A ransomware attack takes weeks for the hackers to set up. Once inside a network, they stay hidden and take their time to make lots of changes. Essentially, they’re making it virtually impossible for an IT security company such as ours to undo the damage and kick them out once the attack has started.
How much is the typical ransom?
The hackers aren’t stupid. They know trying to get $150,000 out of a small business simply won’t happen. But you might stump up $10,000 just to end the hell of a ransomware attack. They will change their ransom demand based on how much money they believe a business has.
- Nearly 50% of businesses are so underprepared they have to pay the ransom to get their data back.
- There are countless indirect costs – Such as being unable to access your data or systems for a week or longer.
- Post-attack, productivity is always damaged, as staff gets used to new systems, ways of working, and greater security measures.
What can I do now to protect my business?
This is the most important question to ask. It’s virtually impossible to stop a ransomware attack from happening. But you can do an enormous amount of preparation, so if an attack does happen, it’s an inconvenience, not a catastrophe.
Here are the 5 steps we recommend for maximizing your ransomware resilience.
- Act as if there’s no software protecting you – Software is essential to keep your business safe from all the cyber security threats. But there’s a downside of using this software – it can make you and your team complacent.
- Make sure your IT partner has robust systems in place – You must have robust data protection and system security in place, including software that only allows approved apps to be used on your network.
- Invest in the best data backup and recovery you can – Automatic off-site data backup is a business basic. When you have a working backup in place, it can be tempting not to give it a second thought.
- Create a plan for cyber-attacks – When a cyber-attack happens, every second is crucial. The earlier you act; the less damage is caused.
- Prepare, prepare… and prepare some more – By creating a layered approach to recovery, you’re effectively reducing the impact of any ransomware attack. The sooner you can get your business back up and running, the less money you’ll lose and the damage you’ll suffer. And your customers are less likely to lose faith in you.
By planning for what happens in the event of an attack or attempted attack, you’re making your business far more ransomware resilient.
Read and Download our new guide – 5 steps to improve your ransomware resilience.
There’s a lot to take in here, isn’t there? For our clients, we do as much of the hard work for them as we can.
Are you ready to choose a new IT partner? let’s talk.
