As the ransomware epidemic continues to spread, ask yourself how vulnerable your business is to cyber-extortion. Because ransomware incidents can severely impact business processes and leave organizations without the data they need to operate and deliver mission-critical services. A vulnerability assessment is a good first step to strengthening your defenses.
Fending off ransomware attacks requires a multilayered strategy. If all you’ve done so far is to rely on antivirus scans and the good sense of your users to not click on suspicious emails, you’re doing the minimum. Yes, endpoint security is a vital element in your malware defense, but it cannot do the job alone. For instance, failing to educate users on the dangers of phishing amounts to business malpractice.
With that in mind, here are six questions to ask in assessing your ransomware vulnerability. Your answers should make it obvious in which areas of security you need to invest:
If you answered “no” to any of the questions:
If you want to avoid a ransomware attack, start working on turning those no’s into yes’s. Ransomware is a growing criminal activity involving numerous variants. Since 2012 when police locker ransomware variants first emerged, ransomware variants have become more sophisticated and destructive.
For more information about how to build a comprehensive, layered security strategy check out our ebook, “SMBs Under Attack eBook”.
If you answered “yes” to all the questions:
That’s awesome! Remember, endpoint security helps but it cannot do the job alone. Continue training your users and securing your threat vectors and using tools like VIPRE to create a solid defense.
Download: SMBs Under Attack eBook
The post Are You Vulnerable To Ransomware? 6 Questions to Ask Yourself appeared first on VIPRE.
Fending off ransomware attacks requires a multilayered strategy. If all you’ve done so far is to rely on antivirus scans and the good sense of your users to not click on suspicious emails, you’re doing the minimum. Yes, endpoint security is a vital element in your malware defense, but it cannot do the job alone. For instance, failing to educate users on the dangers of phishing amounts to business malpractice.
With that in mind, here are six questions to ask in assessing your ransomware vulnerability. Your answers should make it obvious in which areas of security you need to invest:
- Are you training users on the dangers of phishing?
66% of ransomware infections are due to spam and phishing emails. You need to invest in an education program that explains how phishing attacks occur and, through repeated training exercises, conditions users to spot and report suspected phishing emails. End users are targets, employees and individuals should be aware of the threat of ransomware and how it is delivered. - Do you backup your business data regularly?
Backup your data, system images, and configurations, test your backups, and keep the backups offline. Verify the integrity of those backups and test the restoration process to ensure it is working. - Do you have anti-phishing email security?
You should deploy policy-based email security at the server level to defend against phishing as well as spam, viruses and other threats. Your email security solution should include secure email inspection, cleansing and management. - Have you deployed endpoint security with specific ransomware protection?
As malware threats increase in sophistication, so should the tools to combat them. Endpoint security is integral to a layered defense strategy; you need to leverage an advanced solution that effectively helps prevent ransomware, and defends against the malware and attack vectors that are used to spread this pervasive threat. Your security strategy must take into account all the devices that access your network, which means all laptops, smartphones and tablets should be secured. You also should consider encryption and strong authentication policies for added protection. - Do you have a patch management policy?
Ransomware authors often exploit vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office files, JavaScript downloaders and Windows Scripting Files (WSF) to carry out attacks. That’s why testing and implementing patches when they are released is imperative. An automated patch management solution is your best bet. - Are your security solutions up to date?
A commitment to cyber hygiene and best practices is critical to protecting your networks. Prevention is the most effective defense against ransomware and it is critical to take precautions for protection. Infections can be devastating to an individual or organization, and recovery may be a difficult process requiring the services of a reputable data recovery specialist.
If you answered “no” to any of the questions:
If you want to avoid a ransomware attack, start working on turning those no’s into yes’s. Ransomware is a growing criminal activity involving numerous variants. Since 2012 when police locker ransomware variants first emerged, ransomware variants have become more sophisticated and destructive.
For more information about how to build a comprehensive, layered security strategy check out our ebook, “SMBs Under Attack eBook”.
If you answered “yes” to all the questions:
That’s awesome! Remember, endpoint security helps but it cannot do the job alone. Continue training your users and securing your threat vectors and using tools like VIPRE to create a solid defense.
Download: SMBs Under Attack eBook
The post Are You Vulnerable To Ransomware? 6 Questions to Ask Yourself appeared first on VIPRE.