How do I protect my organisation from Ransomware attacks?
Ransomware attacks are on the rise like never before. If Travelex and Colonial Pipeline have been compromised by ransomware infection and have had to pay ransom in millions of dollars, the question every business owner is asking today is this: How do I protect my business from the next ransomware attack?
At Cyber Management Alliance, we firmly believe that Ransomware Prevention and Preparation is the best form of Protection against various forms of malware and ransomware.
You cannot assume that you’re safe even for a minute. We’re not trying to create fear, panic or chaos here but are merely stating the truth. Some estimates suggest that in 2021, a ransomware attack took place every 11 seconds somewhere in the world!
There is an interesting thing to note here though. In many cases where the hackers encrypt files, block your access to your business data and demand a ransom, even once the ransom is paid, there is no guarantee that you will gain access to the encrypted data again.
Therefore, anyone who is in charge of the cyber security and data protection of a business, simply has to ensure that basic hygiene steps have been taken to prevent ransomware attacks.
Are businesses prepared to respond to a ransomware attack?
Our 9-step Ransomware Mitigation Checklist is the perfect place to start for businesses who are serious about protecting their organisations from ransomware attacks and also bolstering their responsiveness to ransomware attacks.
Let’s face it, despite the best technology infrastructure and investments in world-class security software, the largest and most formidable of business and government entities have been under attack in the recent past by various types of ransomware. The ransom payments usually run into several bitcoins or multi-million dollars.
Anti-ransomware solutions are great but so is training and reorienting the mindset of the staff to be prepared for various types of malware and their impact. Investing in a ransomware assessment is also a great idea as a starting point for ransomware mitigation.
We need to always prepare for the worst when it comes to cybersecurity and the way to do that is to plan, practice those plans and rehearse what to do when the worst actually happens. Our Ransomware Response Workflow and Ransomware Response Checklist are handy resources that can help you think and act rationally when crisis hits. Rehearsing these checklists and other ransomware scenarios through ransomware tabletop exercises, however, is the crucial gamechanger.
You can have the most comprehensive Cyber Incident Response Plans and Ransomware Response Checklists, but they're of little use if the key decision-makers in the organisation aren't aware of what's in them. The plans and checklists simply have to be part of their muscle memory to be effective.
Ransomware mitigating checklist for malware and ransomware attacks
Apart from certain necessary steps to protect sensitive data, it is also essential that your business creates a solid incident response plan to mitigate malware and ransomware attacks and their impact.
Key stakeholders in your organisation must be trained in basic cybersecurity awareness, including but not limited to:
- An understanding of ransomware attacks
- Why do they happen
- What does the ransomware attacker want? What are they after? Why would they possibly attack your business and which assets are they most likely to compromise?
- How to prevent ransomware attacks on your business?
- What to do when you’re actually under attack and hackers have demanded payment?
- How to mitigate the impact of the attack and bounce back as seamlessly as possible?
Further, discussions on whether ransom will be paid, which law enforcement agency to reach out to, whom to communicate with and essentially what to do next - all of these areas must be thrashed out internally many times over.
This will ensure that if and when you are under attack, your business is able to evade much damage from the ransomware attack and is able to ensure maximum business continuity.
If you want to make a serious commitment today to protecting your business against ransomware attacks and amplifying your ability to respond to them effectively, download our free 9-step ransomware mitigation checklist today.
The Ransomware Readiness Checklist is the best and easiest way to start your journey towards building your cybersecurity and cyber resilience and preventing ransomware from bringing your business to its knees.
