Best Practice To Protect Your Business From Ransomware Attacks

The cybersecurity measures that guard against it should develop together with the world of technology. Any person or business should make having a ransomware protection strategy a top priority. Without it, people and organizations with weak security risks losing crucial and private information. According to a research by Cybersecurity Ventures, ransomware attacks occurred every 11 seconds in 2021 and cost close to $20 billion in damages. These extortion tactics frequently go after people or organizations who are most likely to pay the necessary money to restore their data.

Some of the common ways through which people get effected by ransomware:

·         fraudulent emails

·         Using tainted websites (drive-by downloading)

·         downloading dangerous attachments or file extensions

·         network and system vulnerabilities

Fortunately, there are several strategies you may use to guard against ransomware attack. Due to the rapid advancement of technology, it's critical to adhere to fundamental cybersecurity procedures and have a proactive attitude to ensure that neither you nor your company are ever at danger from ransomware attacks.

Backup your data:

One of the simplest risk mitigation techniques is backing up your data to an external hard drive or cloud server. The user can completely clean the machine after a ransomware attack and reload the backup files. Ideally, businesses should be regularly backing up their most crucial data. The 3-2-1 rule is a common method to use. Try to retain 3 distinct copies of your data, 2 of which should be offline, on 2 different forms of storage. By including one additional copy on an immutable (cannot be changed) and indelible (cannot be deleted) cloud storage server, you may also add another stage to the process.

Keep all system and software updated:

Always use the most recent version of your operating system, web browser, antivirus programmer, and any other software you use. You should make sure everything is patched and up to date since malware, viruses and ransomware are continuously changing with new kinds that can get beyond your outdated security measures. Larger companies that rely on antiquated legacy systems that haven't been upgraded in a while are a common target for attackers. The ransomware outbreak known as WannaCry in 2017 that left big organizations across the globe paralyzed is arguably the most infamous. Even Spanish telecoms giant Telefonica and Apple chip supplier Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) were compelled to halt operations for four days as a result. Over 230,000 PCs worldwide were impacted in total.

Install antivirus software and firewalls:

The most popular means of ransomware defense are comprehensive antivirus and anti-malware programmers. However, as antivirus software only operates at the internal level and can only identify an attack once it has already entered the system, you'll also need to setup your firewall. The initial line of defense against any incoming external threats is frequently a firewall. It can defend against assaults that are both software- and hardware-based. A firewall is essential for any business or private network because it can filter and stop suspicious data packets from getting into the system.

Network segmentation:

In the case of an attack, it's critical to prevent the spread of ransomware as much as possible since it may swiftly infect a network. By using network segmentation, the company may isolate the ransomware and stop it from spreading to other computers by dividing the network into several smaller networks. To stop ransomware from reaching the target data, each individual subsystem has to have its own security measures, firewalls, and unique access. Segmented access will not only stop the threat from spreading to the main network, but it will also allow the security team more time to find, contain, and get rid of the danger.