Ransomware attackers can go after businesses of any size. They use ransomware to take your business data or operating system hostage and refuse to release it until you meet their demands. Being the victim of a ransomware attack is a bad situation to be in and it’s imperative to be prepared for such attacks.
Hackers are always looking for small gaps in business security. You can greatly reduce the likelihood of ransomware attacks with these proactive tips.
Never Open Suspicious Attachments
Whether you know the email sender or are unfamiliar with their email address, do not open attachments if you have any hesitation or something feels “off” about the email. Some ransomware attackers will take the identity of coworkers or others you frequently email to gain trust in hopes that you will open their malicious attachment. Always think twice before clicking on an attachment and encourage your employees to use the same caution.
Don’t Give Out Personal Information
Ransomware attackers will need your personal information to gain access to your data. There are many ways to keep your data safe, such as keeping your personal information, files, passwords, and similar items secure.
Test Your Firewall and Security Regularly
Regularly test your security measures to help you determine if there are any vulnerable areas. Check for issues with account security, weak passwords or passwords that have never been updated, and other areas that ransomware attackers could be looking for.
Encourage and Enforce Strong Passwords
While it may seem like an overly simple step, using a strong password could help prevent ransomware attacks. Encourage your employees to use strong, unique passwords whenever they are asked to choose a password and put processes in place to ensure they are doing so.
Keep Employees Aware of Threats
Make sure your employees also are keeping their information safe and secure. Ask them to keep their passwords safe, to use legitimate websites, and to report any suspicious emails or attachments they come across.
Limit User Access
Ensure that your users only have access to what’s necessary and that they are not logging into their devices using accounts with administrative or sudo access, or worse yet, domain admin access. Limiting the access of the users will help protect your critical data in the event of a ransomware attack.
Implement a Strong Business Continuity Plan
If you do become a victim of a ransomware attack, having a well thought out business continuity plan with strong backup and disaster recovery strategies can save your business. Ensuring that processes and segmentation are in place to prevent the encryption from spreading to your backups and your disaster recovery environment is critical and should always be top of mind.
Use Private Cloud Security to Protect Your Data
You can help prevent cyber attackers from getting to your business data by storing it on a secure private cloud. A large amount of securing your business against a ransomware attack comes from planning and forward thinking. You want to reduce the visible areas where an attacker can find holes in your security and locate your business data. A private cloud is a secure way to store your data.
Be prepared for ransomware attacks with SmartBase Managed Hosting
SmartBase Solutions Managed Hosting will keep your data safe in our secure private cloud. Give us a call at 612.767.9940 or contact us today to learn more about any of our solutions.
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