What if you walked into your office tomorrow and you couldn’t access any of your data–and neither could anyone else on your network? For a growing number of businesses and local governments, that nightmare has become a reality this year thanks to a growing number of ransomware attacks. In fact, ransomware attacks on businesses are up more than 365% this year and more than 50 local municipalities across the country have been hit by attacks this year already. Prevention is the key to protecting your data–and the success of your business or town. Once an attacker has taken control of your network, it’s too late. Read on to see if you are prepared to fend off a ransomware attack – and how you can get prepared if you’re not.
Ransomware basics
Ransomware is a type of malware that blocks your access to your own data. The files are still on your network or hard drive, you just don’t have access to them. While ransomware can find its way onto your network or machine through a variety of ways, these attacks are generally spread by a Trojan that resembles a legitimate file you want to download (often attached to an email) or by visiting an infected site.
Ransomware is like playing a virtual game of ‘keep away’ – your data is held hostage by the attacker until you pay the ransom. Even if you do pay the amount demanded by the attacker, there’s no way of knowing if they will actually release your data – as many individuals, businesses, and cities have found out the hard way.
Network security audit
The first step to preventing a ransomware attack is to make sure that your network is secure. Computer Service Now offers a comprehensive network security audit to give you peace of mind – ensuring that your network will remain secure.
Our network security audit includes performing security vulnerability scans, reviewing applications and operating system access controls, physical access to your server and systems, and audit reports and software to monitor and report changes to files and settings on your system. As a complete check of the security of your system, our network security audits include personal computers, servers, switches, network routers, and your mainframe. Using quality devices is a must, as a recommendation this is one of the best router for verizon fios.
Use data protection
Antivirus software is designed to protect your network and data from viruses, spyware, ransomware, and other types of malware. Able to scan, detect, and remove viruses from your system, antivirus software protection is your first line of defense against ransomware attacks.
Computer Service Now offers a comprehensive selection of services designed to protect your network and important data. To keep your network, important data, and user information protected, we offer a variety of award-winning Malware protection software packages and will help you select the package that best fits your needs and budget. Our free one hour of service and IT consultation provides you the ideal opportunity to have a stress-free discussion about our managed antivirus solutions – letting us take the pressure off you and your team by managing your defenses for you. Check out Managed Antivirus Solutions for Your Business to learn more.
Stay up to date
To protect your system from attacks, updating your software regularly is a necessity. Software developers and operating system developers issue updates and patches to help close any loopholes that attackers can exploit to infect your network.
Older operating systems and hardware are also more susceptible to security vulnerabilities like viruses and ransomware. Even if you’re running antivirus programs and have a firewall in place, hackers can still exploit the gaps left by unpatched vulnerabilities. Read Hidden Costs of Not Upgrading to learn more about the dangers of not keeping your system up to date.
In addition to updating software that is on your server, your users must ensure that they regularly update any software or operating systems they run on their individual machines. Never allow employees to install software on their machines until it has been vetted by your IT department or partner. You may even consider putting in place permissions that restrict individual users from installing or downloading software on their machines.
Always have a backup
Being the victim of a ransomware attack doesn’t have to mean losing everything. Taking a proactive approach to backup all of your data on a regular basis can give you a recent starting over point – letting you get back to work faster.
We can power down the endpoint, reimage it, and reinstall your recent backup. You’ll have all of the data as of your most recent backup and be able to prevent the attack from spreading. Make sure that you have a regular backup schedule. We recommend periodically verifying the integrity of your backups and testing of the restoration process. To ensure that your backups aren’t susceptible to infection from a ransomware attack, you should store your backups offsite or on a separate server that isn’t connected to your regular network.
Our comprehensive managed data backup program takes the guesswork out of keeping your data backups on schedule and ready to deploy in case of an attack. Check out Mission Critical Data to learn more about the importance of having a managed data backup program in place.
Helping you get prepared
Computer Service Now is happy to provide on-site services to businesses in the Southwest Ohio region. Our network security options offer you an easy and hassle-free option to keep your network safe from ransomware attacks.
With our high level of customer service and satisfaction, Computer Service Now works hard to be the premier IT firm in the Cincinnati and Dayton region. We offer a wide variety of IT solutions that stay within your budget. For IT-related projects big and small, our experience, expertise, and variety of services allow us to provide the support you need to meet your business needs. Contact us today and let us solve all of your IT needs today!
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