Fortify your Business against Ransomware

Intro

Ransomware attacks are when criminal parties target and steal data from your company. They then demand a ransom to give you access to the data again. Organizations involving retail, utilities, finance, and healthcare are prime targets for ransomware attackers. This is because they carry large amounts of data that can be difficult to recover. Consequently, they’re most likely to pay up.

Securing your defenses and protecting your data

Install the latest security updates

Keep all of your systems up to date with the latest security patches and fixes so that attackers can’t exploit old flaws to break into your system. This includes anti-virus software such as Avast and McAfee. Don’t put off updating your system software. Doing so or not doing so could spell disaster or success for your company.

Maintain Online and Offline Backups

When you think of the possibility of a ransomware attack, the loss of critical data is an unthinkable result. Therefore, maintaining backups for important data in the form of hard drives, Flash Drives, and Cloud Storage is important. Even if you agree to pay the ransom, negotiating with the attackers could mean a large delay. This could seriously affect your company’s progress. 

Strong Passwords and Authentication

Aside from strong system security against attackers, you will also need to strengthen your authentication methods. Use strong passwords and permit only a limited number of trusted employees to know them.  Access to critical data, such as social security numbers, client information, and credit card numbers should be strictly monitored. In addition, measures like biometric authentication and strong physical security should be in place.

Apply For Cyber Liability Insurance

When faced with a ransomware attack, companies often have to shoulder the cost of third-party lawsuits as well as cater to other expenses as a result of the attack. Cyber liability insurance helps with these. Their coverage includes data restoration, notification costs, as well as fines or penalties imposed on the company by regulatory agencies.

Verify Emails

A common hacking method used by ransomware attackers is known as “Phishing.” Hackers send emails embedded with malicious code to your computer. When you receive an email, be sure to contact the sender through other means and verify that it was indeed them who sent the email. This might seem quite petty but will keep you from coming in contact with foreign code that might disrupt and steal your data.

Raise Awareness and Educate Employees

Of course, it is not just your computer that hackers can target. They could just easily break in through one of the employees’ computers and invade the company network from there. Therefore, it goes without saying that you should inform and raise awareness amongst your employees. Educate them on security measures, how they should be cautious in attending to emails, why they should keep their machines up to date etc.

Conclusion

It is a fact that even if you apply all the security measures and tips mentioned above, your company may still be more vulnerable to such attacks. Of course, there will always be a way to invade your system, and determined criminals will stop at nothing to do so. Keeping up with the times by making system updates, adopting new technologies, and implementing advanced security methods are ways to protect your company’s data.