SMB Cybersecurity & Ransomware

Small Businesses today are challenged with investing in network security and keeping up with technology with limited resources and budgets. Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts files on a targeted computer and demands payment in exchange for unlocking them. Here are the top three steps SMBs can take to protect themselves from Ransomware:

- Backup your data regularly and test restores to ensure the backups are working properly,

- Avoid using administrative privileges on their company computers to avoid becoming a ransomware victim, and

- Implement an antivirus program with an automatic update.

1. There is no such thing as 100% cybersecurity protection. It is important to have up-to-date antivirus protection and not allow admin access to the company computer.

2. It is important to ensure that all employees are educated on the dangers of Ransomware and have a plan in place for how they will respond if a computer is infected with ransomware as employees can cause more damage than any malicious software.

3. It is important to have an audit process in place for all employees to ensure they are not downloading malware or ransomware onto their computers.

4. It is important to stay vigilant on the threat of Ransomware and keep working with your IT provider prior to any attacks happening. Ransomware is still a very real threat that could affect your company and compromise data.

With Ransomware, The ONLY Cure Is Prevention!

It just keeps showing up in the news. Ransomware seems to just not come to an end. If you haven’t heard, ransomware is a particularly nasty virus that freezes access to your data and then demands a ransom, usually in bitcoin. The worst thing about it is that once you are hit, there is almost nothing you can do. There are only 2 options: don’t pay the ransom and lose your data, or pay it. There is no “downloadable” fix. You are stuck. With ransomware, the ONLY cure is prevention.

In the case of ransomware you need to be constantly updating your data and securing it in isolation from your network. Even then, if your backup system overrides your older data each time it backs up, you can actually save the virus if it has infected your system at the time of the backup. To make sure you are as protected as you can be, we strongly recommend you contact a technical security expert to consult on the best way to protect against ransomware and other security hacks.