According to the Official Annual Cybercrime Report of 2019, every 14 seconds, an entrepreneur will be the victim of a ransomware attack. Now Brown-Forman, US spirits manufacturer and owner of Jack Daniel’s brands, has also been the victim of a ransomware attack.
Ransomware is constantly evolving. Entrepreneurs also need to evolve security strategies to protect their data and assets.
According to Bloomberg, the hackers stole a terabyte of data when they penetrated the network of Brown Roman . This makes the American spirits manufacturer the latest prominent victim of a ransomware attack.
Ransomware is software that denies users access to data until a ransom is paid. This malware encrypts valuable data and blocks users from their own system. Only if the ransom is paid as bitcoin the cybercriminals provide the decryption code
The data taken hostage can be customer data, or data from operational technologies such as compressors, pumps, etc. If customer data is affected it is a serious data breach. This incident must also be reported to the Data Protection Authority. There is no guarantee that the person concerned will regain access to their data after paying the ransom. To prevent the attack in the first place is the best strategy.
How can you protect yourself from ransomware attacks?
Employee training .
Most ransomware attacks occur via spam and phishing emails. Employees should therefore be trained to detect suspicious links in their email inbox and report them to the manager or IT advisor. Even if employees are among the most frequent victims of cyber attacks, managers are better targets because they usually have access to more sensitive data and are therefore even more suitable for blackmail.
Schindler IT-Solutions offers workshops for companies to make employees and executives senile in handling data. In 4 hours each participant gets an overview of where the dangers are lurking and how to deal with them.
Software updates.
Update your software regularly. Not only firewall and antivirus, but also operating systems and Office applications,… Note that a firewall must also be state of the art to provide adequate security. Depend on a Next Generation firewall and secure your workstations and notebooks with the latest endpoint protection technology. A coordinated security concept offers best protection. Modern endpoint protection can detect and prevent encryption attempts .
Passwords
Use a password manager. Secure passwords and regular password changes play an important role in preventing ransomware attacks. For brute force attacks, hackers try to gain access to corporate networks by entering as many passwords as possible with the help of bots. If common passwords are used and they are not changed regularly, the success for the hackers is all the greater. Be careful not to use Linkedin, Amazon, Facebook,.. passwords on the corporate network. Online services are often hacked and the cybercriminals can access the company network with the same password.
Regular data backup
Make regular backups of your data and always keep it backed up offline. Most often, not only the original data, but also network storage, drives and cloud storage locations are encrypted by the malware. For cloud systems with Dropbox or Google Drive sync services, data might be overwritten if synchronization occurs immediately after the data is encrypted.
Schindler IT-Solutions specializes in data. In workshops on data security and GDPR, with the support of certified Data & IT security and GDPR experts, participants will be introduced to cybersecurity and the associated privacy policies.
Workshops will again take place in 2021 at the training center in 2100 Stetten. As always, the current dates can be found on the homepage easygdpr.eu.
From 10 people or more, it is possible to hold the workshop directly in their company at their desired date or they can plan a company outing and use the training center of Schindler IT-Solutions.