When ransomware was originally conceived by hackers, they saw it as another way to lure money out of people. However, as they grew to learn what it actually was and the power it had, ransomware has become a weaponized form of attack to bring big organizations down to their needs. Most of the businesses that are subject to such attacks suffer a lot of loss not only in money but also in reputation.
If you look at the recent attack on the company Maersk, analysts say that the true aim of the attack was to completely wipe out the company rather than holding the company’s data hostage for money. As it has become such a big problem, you need to prepare your business for the worst to come. In this article, I am going to discuss how you can defend your business against such attacks and protect your life’s work.
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Protect Your Organization
The very first thing that you are going to need to do is to place some hurdles in place in case someone tries to hack you. You need to make sure that you are using all the current security protocols or getting the best IT services like Cytelligence, who make sure that you don’t suffer from any ransomware attack. Hackers are always on a lookout for vulnerabilities in your system. If you make sure that you cover your tracks and protect your online image, you can save yourself from a lot of inconveniences.
Backup All Your Data
The second thing that you need to do is to make sure that you have a backup of your data in case something unfortunate happens. Backing up your data is the most important decision that you can take as a company, as even if you get hacked, you will have access to all of your files, and you can make the recovery of everything that you have lost. So, make sure that you have all your data secured in a safe place, and you should continuously run a recovery check to make sure that there isn’t any problem associated with your plan.
Educate Your Employees
The most common way that a hacker infects a computer system is by social engineering. It doesn’t matter how much security protocols you put into place, or how much you update your system, the weakest link in your security chain will always be human interaction. You need to make sure that you hold educational conferences for your employees so that you can teach them some basics about a ransomware attack.
You can tell them how it happens and how to keep themselves safe against it so that it can be prevented. You should educate them on phishing emails and tell them they should always be careful when surfing the internet using an office computer. In the end, the more you teach your employees, the better it is for your business.
Never Pay Ransom
Lastly, you might think that if you pay the hackers, you can get your files back and recover from all the damages. However, what you are doing is presenting yourself as an ATM machine for these hackers. As soon as you pay them the ransom for your files, the hackers will know that you are up for subversion and you will encounter another attack the next week. As soon as the news of your surrender reaches the hacking community, they will travel in packs and attack you one after another until you give up. So, your best bet in case of an attack is to start again using your backup files and continue what you do best.
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