Bolstering your Business’ Defenses to a Ransomware Attack
Ransomware attacks are on the rise, with increasingly devastating effects including larger and larger monetary demands. When your business is swept up into one of these difficult situations, you may feel as though you have no choice but to comply with the criminals committing the assault. However, paying the ransom isn’t the only resolution to this issue and, in fact, may be one of the worst ways to resolve the situation. On the other hand, one of the most effective things that you can do is to take steps to prevent an attack in the first place.
When a ransomware attack occurs, paying the ransom demanded of your business may only add further complications. By complying with cyber criminals, you risk not only encouraging their pursuits, but you also put your business at risk of violating state and federal laws. Thus, you could very well be penalized by law enforcement and/or you and your business may be exposed to criminal and/or civil liability. Moreover, paying ransom also puts you at risk of not seeing your data fully restored. While in many cases, an encryption key is sent after payment, you cannot trust an unnamed criminal entity to fulfill your wishes after giving them a large sum of money. Even with the encryption key, restoring your data properly and getting back to business as normal may take months– a lengthy period of time for your business to be suffering a major setback.
Implementing multiple layers of protection and having a cybersecurity recovery plan in place may help you avoid a ransomware situation. Indeed, ensuring your business is properly protected with security software and frequent backups is one of the best ways to help prevent and minimize the damage that ransomware can cause. As far as your recovery plan, consider some of these major steps:
1 – Consider what data has been breached and what regulations it falls under. You may need to disclose what information was breached to your customers, employees, or federal agencies, depending on the type and sensitivity of the information the attackers reached. This should be done promptly to best protect the individuals involved.
2 – You’ll want to uncover exactly what technology, files, and information the hackers have access to, as well as when they penetrated your defenses. This will help you in discovering all of the data that was compromised and the severity of the breach, as well as in deciding on what backup you can trust. If you restore your files with a backup right away, not only may the hackers end up still having access, but you may also lose all the evidence you need to handle the situation. Ensure this step is complete before restoring your backup and beginning to return to business as normal.
3 – Once you’ve identified the point of access the attackers found; ensure you update all of your business’ cybersecurity to protect against any further problems with the same entity as well as any others. This may include trying a different approach, adding additional levels of defense, changing your data usage protocols, or more– consider your business’ individual data breach and delve into the details of how to prevent similar events in the future.
If you need or want to learn more about ransomware and how to defend against it, I can assist you in working on your business’ defenses. As a business and cybersecurity attorney, I am here to help you protect your assets and minimize the risks you face. Feel free to contact me to discuss the subject further.
The information presented here is for general educational purposes only. It does not constitute legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship.