The headline is that ransomware attacks on British organisations have doubled from a year ago. This should be taken seriously by everyone now, regardless of how large or small your organisation is, you risk losing a lot of money and damaging your reputation.
Why have ransomware attacks increased so much? The answer is quite simple: it is very effective. From the point of view of a criminal organisation, there is a lot of money to be made from this for not very much effort.
What is ransomware? A ransomware attack manifests as a sudden locking of all computers on a network, including the encryption of all the data, followed by a demand for payment. Some of the time, the data is decrypted upon payment but usually not.
The dangers that this brings are colossal and can lead to organisations closing down as a result. Even if your organisation is prepared and has off-site daily backups, the disruption an event like this causes is not to be underestimated: imagine your entire business being out of action for two or three days (best case scenario) while your network is put back together and eventually people start picking up where they left off…
What can you do to prevent this? I recommend using two approaches at the same time:
- Keep your staff trained by utilising the KnowBe4 continuous security training. This will help to prevent an initial breach, without which, ransomware couldn’t be setup by the hackers.
- Use Heimdal’s Ransomware Encryption Protection. This is the last line of defence: If everything else has failed and the ransomware is about to encrypt your network, this little bit of software simply stops it. No encryption = no ransom for decryption.
Contact Brigantia to be put in touch with your local Brigantia Partner who will be able to guide you through what is required and help you on your journey to becoming secure. Email partnersupport@brigantia.com or call 020 3358 0090 for more details.
