Preventing Ransomware Attacks: Proactive Measures to Shield Your Business

All forms of cyber attacks are dangerous to organizations in one way or another. Even small data breaches can lead to time-consuming and expensive disruptions to day-to-day operations.

One of the most destructive forms of cybercrime businesses face is ransomware. These types of attacks are highly sophisticated both in their design and in the way they’re delivered. Even just visiting a website or downloading a compromised file can bring an entire organization to a complete standstill.

Mounting a strong defense against ransomware attacks requires careful planning and a disciplined approach to cyber readiness.

Strong Endpoint Security

Any device that’s used to access your business network or adjacent systems is known as an “endpoint.” While all businesses have multiple endpoints they need to be mindful of, organizations with decentralized teams tend to have significantly more they need to track and protect. This is typically due to remote working employees accessing company assets from personal laptops and mobile devices.

The more endpoints a business needs to manage, the higher the chances that attackers can find hackable points of entry. To mitigate these risks effectively, it’s essential to first identify all the potential access points a business has. Businesses can then use a combination of EDR (Endpoint Detection and Response) solutions and access controls to help reduce the risk of unauthorized individuals posing as legitimate employees. 

Having an updated BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy in place is also important when improving cybersecurity. These policies outline specific best practices for employees when using their own devices for business-related purposes – whether they’re in the office or working remotely. This can include avoiding the use of public Wi-Fi networks, keeping devices locked when not in use, and keeping security software up-to-date.

Better Password Policies and Multi-Factor Authentication

Whether they know it or not, your employees are the first line of defense when it comes to avoiding ransomware attacks. Poorly configured user credentials and bad password management habits can easily contribute to an employee inadvertently putting an organization at more risk of a security breach than necessary. 

While most people like having a fair amount of flexibility when creating a password they can easily remember, it’s important as a business to establish certain best practices that need to be followed. This includes ensuring employees are creating longer and more unique passwords, leveraging MFA (multi-factor authentication) security features, and refreshing their credentials at regular intervals throughout the year.

Data Backup and Recovery

Having regular backups of your databases and systems is one way to increase your operational resilience in the wake of a major cyberattack. In the event your organization is hit with ransomware and your critical data becomes inaccessible, you’ll be able to rely on your backups to help recover your systems. While this process can take some time, it’s a much more reliable alternative to paying a ransom amount.

When planning your backups, there is a 3-2-1 rule you should follow. This rule stipulates that you should:

• Have three up-to-date copies of your database
• Use two different data storage formats (internal, external, etc.)
• Keep at least one copy stored off premises

Following this best practice lowers the likelihood that “all” your backups become compromised and gives you the best chance for recovering your systems successfully.

Network Segmentation and Access Control

One of the most challenging things about ransomware is its ability to spread rapidly to other connected systems. A viable strategy for limiting this ability is to segment your networks, breaking them up into smaller, isolated strings of a wider network. 

Network segmentation makes it so that if one system becomes compromised, attackers still won’t have open access to a system. This makes it much harder for malware to spread.

Maintaining strict access control policies is another way you can reduce your attack surface. Access control systems limit the amount of free access that users have in a system at any given time. In these types of systems, the best practice is to ensure that regardless of who someone is, they should still only ever have just enough permissions in place to access the information they need to accomplish their tasks – nothing more, nothing less.

Vulnerability Management and Penetration Testing

To create a safer digital environment for your business, it’s important to regularly scan systems for new vulnerabilities that may have surfaced. While businesses may spend a lot of time putting various security initiatives into place, as the organization grows, these initiatives may not be as effective as they used to be. 

However, identifying security gaps across business infrastructures can be incredibly time-consuming for many organizations. Working with penetration testing partners is a great way to fill this gap.

Pentesting services can be invaluable when helping businesses pinpoint precisely where their security systems are failing. By using simulated real-world attacks, penetration testers can help businesses see where their most significant security weaknesses are and prioritize the adjustments that will bring the most value when protecting against ransomware attacks.

Data Security Compliance and Ethical AI Practices

There are various considerations you want to make when implementing new security protocols for your business. Ransomware attacks can do much more than disrupt day-to-day operations. They can also lead to data security compliance issues that can lead to a long list of legal headaches and do irreparable damage to your reputation.

Because of this, it’s important to ensure all critical business data uses active encryption protocols. This essentially makes data inaccessible to anyone not authorized to view it. While this in itself won’t necessarily stop cybercriminals from accessing stolen data, it can help to protect the information from being sold to unauthorized parties. Leveraging data encryption may also already be a requirement for your business depending on the regulatory bodies that govern your industry.

Another thing to consider is that while AI-enabled security solutions are becoming more widely used, there are certain compliance standards that need to be followed when implementing them. Understanding any implications associated with leveraging data-driven technologies will help ensure you’re able to get maximum benefit out of using them without inadvertently breaching data privacy rights. 

Keep Your Business Better Protected

Protecting your business from ransomware attacks requires a proactive approach to risk management and prevention. By following the strategies discussed, you’ll be able to lower your susceptibility to an attack while having the right protocols in place if and when you need them.

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