Four Steps to Address the Threat of Ransomware

Ransomware is a concerning trend in the modern business world. With each new cybersecurity story that makes the news, it may seem nearly impossible to protect your business from these devastating attacks. However, if you follow certain best practices, you can help protect your network inside and out, while prevent hackers and attackers from negatively affecting your business.

Make sure your employees are well trained

One of the best ways to prevent cyber attacks from affecting your business is to make sure the people who run your business know what to look out for. Even if you have put your employees through cybersecurity training in the past, it’s always a good idea to refresh their knowledge with more education. After all, cybersecurity is an ever-changing field, as cyberattacks continue at a relentless pace.

Of course, some tips are evergreen. As always, make sure your team knows to live by the following on a day-to-day basis:

• Never open links from unknown senders
• Never share MFA codes, unless through official channels
• Check the email address of the sender in question: Do not assume the name that appears first is their real identity
• Make sure the website you’re logging into is official before sharing your account credentials
• Use strong, unique passwords for all accounts
• Never reuse passwords: Change your passwords often
• When in doubt, ask directly: Don’t assume the person you’re talking to is who they say they are

Keep up with cybersecurity news

As stated above, cybersecurity is an ever-changing field. It’s important to know what the current threats are, as well as understand past trends, to better prepare for what’s to come. As such, make an effort to stay updated with the latest cybersecurity news: Familiarize yourself with the types of ransomware attacks affecting companies in your sphere, as well as those outside. These attacks do not discriminate: In the world of cybersecurity, knowledge is power.

Stay ahead of attacks

Arming yourself with the knowledge of cyberattacks and cybersecurity threats around you is half the battle, but only half. The other 50% of the equation is spotting these attacks before they breach your security. You can understand how these attacks work, and which is most likely to affect your business, but if you’re not employing proper surveillance, you won’t be able to react fast enough to such an attack should it hit.

According to a survey by Cybereason, hackers quietly hid in the networks of 63% of affected business for six months before finally attacking their systems. Had these businesses used good surveillance, such as a 24-hour monitoring software, they could have caught these hackers before they breached their networks so many months before the actual attack. This type of preemptive effort can weed out any attackers who do make it past your defenses, while preventing most from ever stepping foot in the first place.

Invest appropriately in cybersecurity

Preventing cyberattacks isn’t necessarily cheap: Training employees and utilizing top-of-the-line security software can be costly. However, it’s worth it. Avast, an antivirus software developer, recommends strategizing 10% of your business’s budget towards cybersecurity costs. While that might seem like a sizable sum, compare it to the potential losses that come from a ransomware attack. Even if you do not pay a ransom, the loss of business and cost to get back online can be staggering. Properly investing ahead of time can pay off generously in the long run.