It’s no news that ransomware is becoming one of the top issues in data security.
Ransomware is almost impossible to trace and so, once the hackers gain access, there’s very little we can do to restore without paying the ransom. Since it can potentially bring the organization down, many give in to the ransom demands.
So then, how can you stop the ransomware from wrecking your organization and gain access to sensitive information? Let’s find out.
What Can You Do in Times of a Ransomware Attack?
There are a few things you can do when you have become the victim of a ransomware attack.
- You can take the matters in your hands and try to crack the ransomware code, delete it and save your information. This is the rarest solution. You will have to use a malware detection tool to find out the source of the attack and delete those files and leave the encrypted files out of it.
- You can bring matters to the attention of law enforcement officials. The cyber cell would’ve seen many such instances of ransomware attacks and can, therefore, give you great pointers to handle the situation.
- You can get an external agency to help you, like an IT consulting firm or a company specialized in ransomware prevention.
- You can plug out the infected computers from the network and prevent the ransomware from spreading to the other systems.
In many situations where you handle ransomware attacks, you would often be compelled to delete your computer’s information. So, what would happen when you lose out all your essential data?
This is when having a data backup pays off.
Protecting Your Important Data from Ransomware Attacks with Backups
At LayerOne Networks, we’ve seen many companies manage such cyberattacks in the best way possible due to our managed backup services. When you have all your essential information backed up, you needn’t worry about losing these data in the time of a ransomware attack, or for that matter any cybersecurity threat.
Our backup as a service (BaaS) will help you to create a foolproof strategy to keep your sensitive information safe and away from the hands of the hackers. Here are a few important tips to protect yourself from ransomware attacks.
-
Go by the 3-2-1 Backup Plan
This is one of the most effective and proven backup strategies that has been used over and over by many companies.
What is the 3-2-1 backup plan?
- Have 3 copies of data; one is your main data storage while the two more are backups.
- Have two different types of media storage.
- Have one offsite backup storage.
When you have your data on two separate backups, both of which are in different formats and locations, you have high chances of accessing and restoring the information even when you’re attacked.
The offsite backup should be saved in a location that isn’t anywhere near your office. This is to ensure that your backup will still be safe in the events of any physical calamities.
-
Keep Your Backup Separate from the Main Network
If you want to protect the backup during a ransomware attack, you shouldn’t save your backup on the main network. This is one of the very first things you must take care of.
In any cyberattack, the virus tries to branch out more to the other storages in the network. So when you have your main storage unit as well as the backup storage in the same network, it can lead to adverse consequences like losing all of your data, including the ones in the backup.
So always make sure to save your backup data in a separate network.
-
Provide Sufficient Recovery Points
Generally, when you want to recover the data from backup storage, you should be able to access it in the same state it was in before the attack. However, in the worst case that your backup is also affected by the virus, you need to position numerous recovery points through which you can restore and access data at previous stages.
You can ask your IT consulting firm to provide multiple storage blocks and create a storage memory that can’t be altered once the value is set.
-
Implement High Security for the Backup Server
This is an area that many organizations avoid. While you enforce maximum security possible for your main server, you should also give equal importance to the backup server.
Why so? The hackers generally do not know what a particular server is until they hack it. They go by the server which is most easy to crack. And when your backup server doesn’t have high security than the main server, it’s more prone to be attacked.
There have been many instances in the past where ransomware targeted backup files like the Ryuk ransomware.
-
Backup Often
The backup frequency will determine the data you can access if you’re attacked by a ransomware. When you’re backing up the data once in a few weeks, you’ll lose out on loads of work that you’ve done during those weeks.
Depending on the importance of your work, increase the backup time to at least once in a few hours to make sure that your recent work is saved and kept safe.
Read More: Ransomware Vs. Malware: What is More Dangerous?
Summing Up
While there are several security measures to prevent the ransomware attacks, it’s best to always have a backup plan.
- Follow the 3-2-1 plan for a multi-layered backup.
- Your backup storage should be on a separate server and should have multiple recovery points.
- You should enforce high security for the backup plan to prevent the backups from getting attacked.
- Make sure to increase the frequency of your backup to save your recently worked data.
If you’re looking to hire an experienced company providing managed IT services in Corpus Christi, then reach out to us now. Our IT experts will help you decide the best strategy for backing up your important data and protect it even during ransomware attacks.