How to Prevent Ransomware Attacks

Ransomware is a growing global crime with tentacles that are far-reaching. The IT community at large is increasingly looking to master how to prevent ransomware attacks for their own users.

According to a recent TechCrunch article, “Ransomware attacks have been on the rise since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, so much so that they have become the biggest single money earner for cybercriminals.” One expert firm estimates that the quantity of ransomware attacks grew by more than 150% in 2020, and that the average ransom demand increased more than twofold to $170,000.

The White House even went as far as to publish an open letter to US companies, urging organizations to “take ransomware crime seriously” and ensure “corporate cyber defenses match the threat.”

Here are 6 recommendations we have to help you prevent ransomware attacks and keep your users safe. The best ransomware protection includes efforts to:

1. Encrypt email to prevent unwanted visibility into your sensitive data. Tools that are simple to use will be the most adopted by your community of users. The Bracket email encryption tool fits the bill perfectly.
2. Back up data regularly and keep backups outside of the network(s) you manage. There are some great Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery companies out there these days, such as Kaseya, Acronis, Veeam, and Axcient.
3. Keep the network(s) you manage up to date by running anti-virus and anti-malware scans. Also, make sure you are regularly allowing updates on operating systems, software and applications.
4. Educate your users on what to click on and what not to click on. Organizations are only as secure as their least secure user. Educate users on what phishy email attachments and malicious links look like to prevent hackers from gaining access.
5. Implement endpoint security. Endpoint security, or endpoint protection, will safeguard end points, servers and mobile devices against security threats.
6. Multi-Factor Authentication is a must. This necessary electronic authentication method discourages hacking and it ensures the safety of your users.

Did you know? Ransomware trojan viruses like Qbot (also called Qakbot) are programmed to steal personal information. This virus is initiated using spam email campaigns so it can be prevented by regular email encryption.

Better protection starts with Bracket. If you want a simple email encryption solution for your users, contact us for a demo of Bracket today.