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Ransomware can cause devastating damage for both individuals and businesses—and as remote work has exploded over the last several months, businesses have become even more vulnerable. Ransomware can block a business’ access to some or all of its digital assets, and recovery is expensive and time-consuming: According to Veritas’ 2020 Ransomware Resiliency Report, 66% of IT professionals and executives surveyed said it would take their companies five or more days to fully recover from a ransomware attack.
It’s not enough for tech leaders to be aware of the scope of the problem. Businesses must educate their team members on protective measures both to decrease their chances of a successful ransomware attack and to help speed recovery efforts in case an attack gets through. To help, 10 members of Forbes Technology Council offer their best advice on how individual users can take an active part in foiling ransomware attempts.
1. Keep your systems patched and updated.
Unfortunately, there is no single silver bullet for preventing a ransomware attack, but first and foremost, keeping systems patched and up to date is critical. Preventing ransomware is a team effort, and ensuring that your team is appropriately trained and aware is key to mitigating any risk. - Gaurav Banga, Balbix
2. Practice zero trust.
Assume any and every digital asset or artifact is compromised, and work backward to perform and whitelist them before using or consuming them. To help protect yourself, eliminate the red flags before you trust anything in the digital world. - Vibhuti Sinha, Saviynt
3. Take a cybersecurity class.
Individuals should be extremely wary of the risks that ransomware brings to their personal data and classified company information. As a result, people should take the initiative to enroll in an online cybersecurity class. With this training, one can be aware of all the various points of attack that hackers use to illegally procure data. - Ashwini Choudhary, Recogni
4. Ensure your antivirus software is up to date.
This may sound obvious and simple, but everyone’s guilty of neglecting software updates from time to time. But security is one aspect that you shouldn’t skip. Antivirus software has really advanced in recent years, and many can now actively monitor your files for even the slightest strange behavior. So check yours today. - Marc Fischer, Dogtown Media LLC
5. Disable RDP on your computer.
Disable remote desktop protocol on your machine. Disabling it will protect you from Filecoder and other RDP threats and exploits that you’re otherwise open to. It is especially important for those working remotely and those who might need this feature for work purposes while being out of the office. - Daria Leshchenko, SupportYourApp Inc.
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6. Leverage endpoint protection.
A vulnerability through a remote workspace allows hackers an entry point to move laterally in a connected network and cripple operations. Individuals can prevent ransomware attacks by leveraging endpoint protection. More sophisticated than traditional antivirus tools, low-cost endpoint protection solutions like CrowdStrike make it possible to mount proper defenses without breaking the budget. - Caleb Barlow, CynergisTek
7. Employ SASE tech.
Organizations can use secure access service edge technology. SASE moves networking and security services to the edge. In the past, if you tried to access your corporate network from an unrecognized IP address, access would have been denied. With SASE, you authenticate into your system and as long as you’re accessing programs and applications that you would normally use, the system knows it’s you. - Jeff Brown, Open Systems
8. Be wary of emailed links and attachments.
Recent data show one in three companies saw an increase in ransomware delivered by phishing during the remote work period between March and July 2020, versus the five months prior. With businesses and remote workers being more vulnerable to these types of attacks, be wary of emails that make urgent requests to click links and download attachments, and always check the sender’s email domain. - Edward Bishop, Tessian
9. Don’t use public Wi-Fi.
Businesses and individuals are using a variety of devices to do more activities remotely and should stay away from public Wi-Fi to avoid online vulnerabilities. Whether it is ransomware or a man-in-the-middle attack, cyberthreats are facilitated by unencrypted public Wi-Fi. While using a virtual private network (VPN) can help, encrypted wireless broadband alternatives offer more robust connectivity options. - Ahmad (Al) Fares, Celitech Inc.
10. Perform daily backups.
Organizations and individuals are vulnerable to ransomware because they practice poor cyber hygiene. Rigorously performing a daily backup of all your critical data and work products on a separate platform that’s disconnected from the internet or any private network makes you immune from ransomware. At worst you may lose some easily replaced hardware, and your business will be able to continue uninterrupted. - John Prisco, Safe Quantum Inc.
