The digital era has brought with it many improvements to regular frameworks used for conducting business. However, it also introduced a problematic new threat. This threat comes in the form of malware. A specific type of malware that can be especially troublesome is ransomware. This is a special type of malware that can cost quite a bit without proper measures to mitigate its damage. That’s why the below article provides helpful information on malware and its prevention.
The danger of ransomware attacks
The different types of malware and dangerous cybersecurity breaches can really hamper our business. Knowing about them is the first step to stopping their intrusions. Additionally, the difference between each of their types can make it much more difficult to have all of our defenses prepared.
With ransomware, we may end up in a pretty bad position where our information and private details are utilized against us. Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts files on other devices and makes them inaccessible until a ransom payment is paid. Hence the name, as our access to files ends up being the proverbial hostage in this situation. This malware is specifically designed to cause stagnation in the circulation of information.
After that, the option of paying to have it removed is presented as an easy and cheap way to regain access. Without any previous knowledge of it, many people may find these extra payments a lot more innocent than they actually are. Those less versed in malware will find the more subtle ransomware even harder to discern. However, no matter whether it’s subtle or overt, ransomware remains a problematic and troublesome form of cyberattack that should be prevented from intruding on our business.
How to protect yourself?
Now that you have a better understanding of ransomware, let’s get through the most important part, protecting your business. There are multiple ways of doing so and, if possible, you should employ every measure available to prevent it.
The key one will be having a good cyber security team available to you when breaches happen. Cytelligence is a great source of such security, being able to provide all of the below measures if you don’t already have an established security professional available.
Inform all employees
One of the easiest ways in which malware finds its way into our systems is through the exploitation of employees who may not be wary of it. Malware may be packaged in a variety of ways but when the person encountering it is on guard it’s likely going to be spotted regardless.
Talk to your employees about the dangers of malware in general, this is an important subject for their personal web safety too and slowly go over all types of problematic malware that could infiltrate the system. Cyber security professionals should be consulted about the proper safety practices, they should also relay them to all other employees in an effort to foster a better approach to any suspicious files. Knowing how to recognize the signs of these cyberattacks is key to making sure they never make it into the systems.
It’s also mandatory that the employees know who they should inform and consult if the malware does enter the system. Recognizing signs is useless if there isn’t a quick and effective response to the threat.
Limit the functions of company computers
Sometimes a solution can simply be reducing the possibilities of interactions that a device has with the outside networks and even inside ones. Ransomware along with other malware has a tendency to utilize automatized functions of the system to spread itself. The most common one of these is the installation and running of downloaded files.
If you implement limitations to these two factors, the malware could get stuck before getting into the system. Installation limits can be especially useful, as new software updates and such could be installed through a separate account on the computer or the same account by including exceptions. Regardless, it’s an important step to take. With a dedicated source of cyber security or IT assistance, creating such accounts shouldn’t be a problem. Consult your security specialists as soon as possible.
Have a backup
File backups are one of the best malware protection plans available. No matter how badly the data and files in the main system get tampered with, the backup allows for a relatively fast recovery option. Making and maintaining it can be somewhat cumbersome initially but it pays off.
File backups are especially helpful with ransomware. The key threat of ransomware is that it locks out access to files. This way, we can simply utilize backup as the source of those files until ransomware is dealt with. No matter how potent the ransomware, it will eventually be removed and we can avoid paying the ransom. As mentioned before, the maintenance of a backup should still be kept in mind.
Making sure we are backing up frequently enough is key to having a plan B consistently ready. In situations where you suspect the system has been intruded by malware, be careful with backing corrupted data. It’s better to cut off the problem at the current stage rather than allow it to spread further.
Update anti-viruses and other defensive measures
This builds onto the concern of maintaining good backups. All anti-viruses and system software should be kept up to date in order to prevent newer forms of malware from slipping through. Just like prevention measures, viruses are always evolving, keeping up with them means ensuring protection from even the most modern of cyberattacks.
Conclusion
Malware in all of its forms can cause incredible damage to our business and the digital systems used for it. However, we aren’t left defenseless against them. While the lack of knowledge and information can make the experience with malware very stressful, the issue becomes far easier to manage once we indulge in learning more about it.
Informing yourself and your employees is paramount to a safe work environment. Prevention measures do include establishing and refining certain systems. This may take some time but it definitely pays to be extra cautious.
Hopefully, with all of these suggestions, ransomware won’t be able to threaten your business. That way your business will be able to operate safely.
