5 tips to mitigate and prevent ransomware attacks

Follow us on

Cybercriminals use ransomware, a type of malware, to find and encrypt your important data, and to demand a ransom in exchange for a decryption key. Ransomware makes them a lot of money, so they are using every vector they can to get into your and the organisation’s network—from email and texting to app, voicemails and network traffic. After getting into your network, ransomware spreads, seeking specific types of data to encrypt and once it's found, the criminals activate the malware and leave you unable to conduct business.

Recent research finds attackers are increasingly using cryptocurrency in ransomware attacks which makes them more damaging than ever due to the rapid growth in the perceived value of bitcoin. Cybercriminals might still be requesting the same amount of bitcoin, but with the price of cryptocurrency going up it costs more for organizations to payout.

Organisations need to have account takeover protection in place that will quickly identify and alert about malicious activities such as suspicious log-ins or attacks launched from compromised accounts. Barracuda, a cloud-based security provider, suggests 5 tips to mitigate and prevent ransomware attacks below.

Leverage advanced technology

Phishing is the primary attack vector for ransomware. Organisations should leverage multi-layered security solutions to detect the evasive threats that deliver ransomware and find dormant email threats and web app vulnerabilities in the systems and spot email threats that traditional email gateways cannot see. 

Protect your credentials

Organizations looking to protect themselves against these new tactics should first focus on protecting their credentials and access. This requires a two-pronged approach: first invest in detection and response tools and then focus on training your users. 

Secure web applications

Online applications like web forms, file-sharing services and e-commerce sites can be attacked by cyber attackers through the user interface or an API interface. Once the application has been compromised, the criminals can reach out for ransomware and other malware into your systems. 

Backup your data and files

One should be aware of the location of all data on the network. This includes configuration files, user documents, and archived data around employees, clients, etc. All the important and essential data should be backed up, and frequently used data should be backed up at least once per day. When cyber criminals attack your network, it encrypts the data, disable the backup systems and destroy backup files. Therefore, the safest approach to protect your document is to deploy a backup system that replicates data to a cloud that offers unlimited storage, robust search and restore capability. 

Train your employees

Turn your users into an active line of defence with modern, computer-based security awareness training. It is also crucial to train your employees to recognize and report attacks. An employee must undergo safety training to operate computers safely because the cybersecurity threat environment is not constant. Employees also need to know who to contact, and how to get in touch with them, if they encounter a security issue or have a question.