How to Prevent Ransomware Cyber Attacks

How to prevent a ransomware cyber attack

Businesses need to know about the threat of cyber attacks more than ever. We are currently part of the ongoing revolution that continues to move our society into the digital world and affect how we conduct business. Data is becoming more important to us and acts as a catalyst for growth in addition to the concept of ‘big data’ taking stage in the cybersecurity environment.

On average, 2.5 quintillion bytes of data are created every day

In recent years, organisations are striving to become more technologically advanced and efficient. With this, higher volumes of sensitive data are stored and generated on internal assets such as computers and hard drives.

But what are the consequences of such a world?

Ransomware

Ransomeware is a malicious software which uses encryption to hold sensitive data hostage, made possible through exploiting computer software. In return, victims are forced to submit funds to restore and retrieve their data.

As ransomware technology evolves and attackers become more diligent and skilful, these kinds of cyber-attacks are becoming harder to detect.

We need to become a more united force and put more into preventing these malicious ransomware attacks. Here are a few simple steps your enterprise should take to be one step ahead:

Educate your workforce

This may seem like one of the most obvious steps but many businesses consider this a low priority and don’t take the time to educate their workforce on how to sport ransomware attempts.

Cyber-attacks can be cut short by employees understanding when a phishing attempt is in view. The simple act of knowing not to click on risky links or attachments and understanding these types of elements in a scamming email can prevent a cyber breach altogether.

Segregate systems and assets

Having an effective segregation system in place that separates your different systems and assets can be a strong defensive mechanism. If an individual does initiate a spamming attempt, having this segregation will prevent the virus from spreading throughout other areas of the network.

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Have strong, Threat Intelligence software

It’s essential to ensure you have detection tools in place enhanced by threat intelligence to detect and respond to infections. Scam attacks can then be found quickly with the appropriate action taken immediately to minimise the impact.

Having a strong, reputable antivirus implemented can hold off a ransomware attack.

Always keep a secure backup 

One of the worst impacts of a breach is the loss of important documents. Don’t neglect your back-up process and continue to save data and files in the case of an unforeseen cyber-attack. If breached, it’s better to wipe all computer systems and then reinstall a trusted backup.

External devices which aren’t connected to the internet are a good option for backing up your data. You can also use cloud services to hold versions of your data, allowing you to restore impacted files from a previous back up.

Keep updated 

Ensure that software downloads are a priority to keep your system up-to-date and fix any vulnerabilities that could leave your data a target. Always download the newest version of the software you use within your business as soon as it’s available to ensure security is tight. Regularly look for patches within the software to help prevent infection.

Email security

Do not release sensitive information through email platforms. Having filters on your mail servers that can recognise and ignore spam can improve security by content scanning incoming e-mails for threats and risky attachments. If in doubt, always contact a member of your IT department or a co-worker if you deem anything suspicious.

Learn more about cybersecurity.