Suppose ransomware or an encryption trojan gets onto your device. In that case, it locks your operating system or encrypts your data, getting hold of a digital hostage such as files and demanding a ransom to restore control to you. Currently, ransomware infections occur in various ways, including spam emails, software downloads, and insecure and fraudulent websites. The attacks leave victims in situations where they must pay horrendous sums of money for the possible release of their files and systems.
In case you are wondering if you are a potential target of a ransomware attack, there are a number of ways you can get infected, including the use of devices with outdated software, running unpatched operating systems and browsers, lacking proper backup plans, and not paying sufficient attention to cybersecurity measures. The annual Canadian Internet Registration Authority (CIRA) Cybersecurity Survey suggests nearly 70 percent of Canadian organizations facing a ransomware attack last year paid the demands to avoid downtime, reputational damage, and other costs. The survey further reveals that one-quarter or more of organizations that suffered a ransomware attack were damaged in terms of recovery costs, loss of revenue and customers, or reputational damage.
Fortunately, you can reduce the likelihood of finding yourself in front of an infected computer or encrypted file by being prepared. In fact, it is possible to significantly reduce the chances of infection by implementing the following controls and best practices. So, as we wrap up Cybersecurity Awareness Month, here are our top 7 ways to prevent ransomware attacks.
1. Do Not Open Suspicious Emails and Attachments
As mentioned, ransomware can find its way to your computer through spam emails and email attachments. However, you can prevent ransomware infections if you avoid opening suspicious-looking email attachments. In addition, you can ensure that the email and sender are trustworthy by paying close attention to the sender and checking the address is correct.
Also, avoid opening attachments that prompt you to run macros to view them since they can run malicious macros that grant malware control to your device. Most significantly, businesses should invest in security awareness training to teach employees how to spot and avoid malicious emails and stop ransomware in its tracks. That way, everyone plays a part in protecting the organization. Finally, if possible, disable macros as the default to reduce the risk of ransomware spreading through Microsoft Office Attachments.
2. Update Your Software and Operating Systems
Businesses and employees can wade through malware by regularly updating programs and operating systems. Businesses should check for updates and patches to repair known bugs and vulnerabilities in their software, firmware, and operating systems. In addition, users can allow automatic updates to benefit from the latest security patches that make it difficult for cybercriminals to exploit vulnerabilities in software.
3. Download Software and Other Files from Known Sources
You can minimize the risk of downloading ransomware by getting software and media files from credible sources. Characteristically, you can recognize the trust seals for verified and trustworthy software vendors. Besides that, such sources use SSL certificates to secure data, and you can recognize this by checking if their web addresses have HTTPS instead of HTTP.
4. Maintain System and Data Backups
Backing up important data is an effective way of recovering from ransomware attacks. While implementing a backup plan, ensure that the backup files are appropriately protected and stored out-of-band to prevent attacks. Better yet, organizations can use cloud services that continuously retain previous versions of the backup, allowing you to roll back to an uninfected form in case of a ransomware attack. It is important to test backup solutions routinely for efficacy. Also, in case of an attack, always ensure you check that hackers have not infected the backups before rolling back.
5. Use VPN Solutions on Public Wi-Fi Networks
Undoubtedly, your device is more susceptible to attacks when you use a public Wi-Fi network. In this case, conscientious use of public networks has become vital in protecting against ransomware attacks. In addition, using a secure VPN service on public Wi-Fi protects against such infections.
6. Install an Anti-Ransomware Software
In addition to various cybersecurity measures and best practices, installing anti-ransomware software is essential to protect against attacks. The tool can effectively block infected attachments and files when you download or stream media on the internet. Additionally, anti-ransomware software provides real-time protection by scanning and protecting your files from local and remote-access ransomware infections.
Moreover, modern endpoint security tools come with intrusion detection system (IDS) capabilities that look for malicious activities by comparing network traffic logs to signatures that detect known malware. Typically, a robust IDS updates signatures routinely and alerts your organization in real-time upon detecting malicious behavior on systems.
Organizations can also consider installing Domain Name System (DNS) filtering on their devices to block out malicious websites and filter harmful content.
7. Develop Relevant Cybersecurity Plans and Policies
You can prevent and limit ransomware attack impacts by developing an incident response plan, so your IT security team knows what to do in case of a ransomware infection. The Canadian Center for Cyber Security recommends that proper security plans should include defined roles and communications that the team will share during an incident. Additionally, an incident plan should include a list of contacts such as vendors and partners that would need to be notified about the attack. Organizations should also practice recovering by testing their incident and recovery plan through simulations or walkthrough exercises.
Apart from an incident response plan, it is vital to create and maintain an email policy that guides employees on what to do if they receive suspicious emails. Your email policy can also feature the Domain-Based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance (DMARC) email authentication and reporting system that helps to protect organizations’ domains from spoofing, phishing, and other malicious activities.
Partner with Sentia to Protect Your Organization from Ransomware
Finally, engaging with a team of cybersecurity professionals early on may enable your organization to prevent and recover more quickly from ransomware attacks than relying on internal IT staff entirely. Sentia offers security solutions to prepare and protect your business and valuable data from unwanted threats. We safeguard and streamline your IT network with our secure network access solutions that help manage the evolution of the modern enterprise network for on-premise, cloud, and hybrid environments. What’s more, Sentia’s wired and wireless solutions are complemented by streamlined onboarding practices to provide high value to your organization.
Contact Sentia today for a free demo to learn how to protect your organization from cyber threats, prevent security breaches and reputational damage, gain insight with compliance reporting, and improve scalability with intelligent access points.
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