Ransomware Attacks

Ransomware attacks are on the rise and have increased by almost 50% in the last year. How can companies mitigate this threat and lower the severity of impact on their business? Ron Foster from Saltworks Security walks us through it.

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Show Notes

Thales 2023 Report on Ransomware

https://www.blackfog.com/why-are-ransomware-attacks-on-the-rise/

7 Steps to Mitigate Ransomware Attacks

The Impact of Ransomware Attacks

Ransomware attacks represent a significant threat to organizations across all sectors and sizes. Recent research indicates that approximately half of surveyed IT professionals have witnessed an increase in ransomware incidents, with approximately one-fifth reporting that their organization experienced such an attack within the past year. Several factors contribute to this concerning trend, including the transition to remote work environments, increased accessibility of ransomware tools, and inadequate vulnerability patching. The reputational and financial implications of these attacks necessitate robust mitigation strategies.

Understanding Ransomware Attacks

A typical ransomware attack often employs exploit kits distributed through various methodologies. Water hole attacks target frequently accessed websites or applications to compromise multiple users simultaneously. Malvertising utilises phishing emails to deceive users into downloading malicious software. These exploit kits encrypt organisational data and subsequently demand payment, frequently in cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin, in exchange for decryption keys. Organised criminal enterprises may offer ransomware as a service, managing the attack infrastructure in exchange for a percentage of the ransom payments.

Steps to Minimize Impact

Organisations can implement several measures to mitigate ransomware threats:

Employee Training: Develop comprehensive programmes to educate personnel on identifying and avoiding phishing emails and suspicious links.

Intrusion Detection Systems: Deploy network and host-based systems to monitor for abnormal activity patterns and recognised attack signatures.

Regular Backups: Maintain frequent data backups, stored both locally and in cloud environments, with regular testing procedures. Consider implementing offline or out-of-band backup solutions to ensure data integrity.

Disaster Recovery Plan: Establish and routinely test a comprehensive disaster recovery protocol that encompasses failover mechanisms and backup procedures.

Patch Management: Ensure operating systems and applications remain current with security patches to address known vulnerabilities.

Network Segmentation: Implement network segmentation strategies to contain potential attacks and prevent propagation across different organisational segments.

Endpoint Hardening: Adopt a “deny all, allow exceptions” approach to port configuration, securing unnecessary ports such as those used for remote desktop protocol and server message block.

Incident Response

When confronted with a ransomware attack, maintaining composure and adhering to a structured incident response protocol is essential. This includes isolating affected systems, identifying the specific ransomware variant, assessing the incident scope, and determining whether data exfiltration has occurred. Additionally, organizations should evaluate backup integrity and investigate potential decryption methodologies.

Check out this other episode on security.

Mitigating the Rising Threat of Ransomware Attacks

Show Notes

The Impact of Ransomware Attacks

Understanding Ransomware Attacks

Steps to Minimize Impact

Incident Response

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