Johannesburg, 17 May 2017
On Friday, the world experienced one of the most devastating, quick-moving and well-coordinated ransomware attacks we've seen so far. Known as WannaCrypt, dubbed as WannaCry, the attack caused mayhem from Russia to Canada, affecting multiple well-known institutions including Britain's NHS.
This time, we all got lucky. A British researcher identified the kill switch relatively quickly, which was a simple fix. Registering a domain name that functioned as a malware control centre. As CNN reported, "MalwareTech believes that the domain name was not intended as a kill switch, but rather a mechanism by which the malware itself could identify whether it was being analysed. If the domain name were active, the malware would assume it was a false positive from a researcher dissembling its code, and WannaCrypt was designed to frustrate such analyses by shutting itself down. The fact that only a single domain name was coded into the malware meant that registering that domain name had the effect of shutting down WannaCrypt worldwide."
However, this was just the beginning of where Ransomware is headed. A new variant of the WannaCrypt Ransomware is already out, and it's not affected by the fix.
This should be a huge wake up call for IT Managers, CIOs and all business stakeholders to ensure that they have the correct measures in place. Responding to a ransomware threat is certainly not as simple as installing an anti-malware solution, or even paying the ransom. In fact, a frightening number of those held hostage by ransomware who give in to the demand never get their files back, or lose data either way.
The single most effective solution to ransomware preparedness and recovery is making sure you have a secure and separate backup of your files, and your server. While there are multiple precautionary measures and defence mechanisms you can put in place, having the best endpoint backup in place is a critical part of being prepared.
Along with multiple elements you must utilise to bulk up your IT department ransomware battle plan (which you can find in our free Ransomware Toolkit here,) if you have an effective endpoint data backup solution in place, you will never be held to ransom.
As TechTarget's Rich Castagna states, "the truth is that good storage practices and effective data protection are the only things standing between your company losing its data or paying a big price to get it back. And it really is all about backup and DR. If you think encrypting everything will provide ransomware protection, think again. Some encryption algorithms can encrypt already encrypted data. These attacks can be crippling to a company, and the more data that gets tied up, the more serious the consequences. But with a copy or two of current data nestled safely you might not just save your company's - and your - neck; you could end up being a hero."
The bottom line is that ransomware isn't going anywhere, and it's a matter of time before most businesses experience some form of a malicious malware attack. If you don't have the right endpoint backup and data protection solution in place, you should.
It's time you make sure you're prepared & properly protected against Ransomware.
Use the Cibecs Ransomware Toolkit and be completely protected today:
1. Be Informed: eight Simple Steps for IT to completely prevent Ransomware attacks
2. Test Your IT Department: Take our Ransomware Preparedness test and get your defence score
3. Educate Users: User Ransomware 101. Easy free printable guide for user ransomware education to immediately reduce your risk.
4. Get the Best Endpoint Backup and Protection: Free Cibecs 30 Day Trial
Get the Ransomware Toolkit now
To find out more about Cibecs, and get the best laptop and desktop data backup and protection visit http://www.cibecs.com
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