Cryptolocker viruses, known for hijacking user data via encryption and demanding ransom money in exchange for the key to unlock it, can happen to anyone. Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting smaller organizations and even personal users as their data is less secured and therefore, more easy to infiltrate.
Despite the viruses’ prevalence and the rate at which cybercriminals are getting smarter, many businesses still don’t have a plan in place to prevent its occurrence, or to recover from it once it effects them. Below, we’ll discuss the cost of ransomware viruses, the dangers of not having a plan in place, how to remove ransomware and get your data back, and why your business should take cryptolocker seriously.
Cooperating with cybercriminals — implications beyond ransom
While many cyber criminals make-good on returning data to users after the ransom amount has been exchanged, complying with demands is still a risky game. Ransom amounts often increase over time and when deadlines are missed, leaving your organization to forfeit a hefty amount before the encryption key is provided to you so that you may re-access your files.
Yet, without surrendering payment, your critical business information remains in the hands of cybercriminals where it’s vulnerable and inaccessible to your business. This window of inaccessibility can lead to downtime in operations and productivity that can impact your business financially, far past the point of the initial ransom amount. Many businesses cannot operate without access to their business data and the longer the data is gone, the more devastating this downtime will be both financially and among customers who value the credibility of your organization.
Strengthening your business against cybercrime
To keep your data and reputation intact, and your business afloat, it’s critical to have a plan in place to a) strengthen your data against viruses and b) know how to react if a cryptolocker virus infiltrates your system.
There are a number of measures your organization can implement to make your business less penetrable to viruses, however cybercriminals are getting more advanced and sneaky in the way they make their way into organizations, so your business should always be prepared for the worst.
To strengthen your data against cryptolocker viruses, you’ll want to:
- Educate your employees on email best practices and web browsing safety
- Have a firewall in place to prevent attacks and unauthorized network access
- Routinely monitor your system for outdated software updates and signs a virus may be present
- Backup your data so you can recover your company’s data without paying ransom
To apply these practices, read this article on strengthening data security measures.
Another major element of strengthening your data security defenses is creating a plan on how to recover from a virus, should one find it’s way through your defenses. This plan should include:
- Procedures for how to remove the ransomware virus (be sure to turn off your internet first so the virus doesn’t continue to do more damage)
- A plan for recovering your data quickly to reduce downtime, and without complying with ransom demands.
How to recover data without paying ransom
Your business can save time and money by preemptively planning for ransomware to happen. By creating a plan for data recovery before a virus strikes, you’ll be prepared to recover your data without funding the cyber criminals who stole it from you.
In order to recover your data without paying ransom, you’ll need to install a cloud backup software on all of the devices (laptops, desktops, NAS, etc) that hold business-critical data you cannot afford to lose. Cloud backup creates a reliable backup of your files that you can access and restore at any time (just make sure the virus is removed before you restore to your device!)
To ensure cloud backup will successfully allow you to recover your data after you’ve been hit with a cryptolocker virus, make sure you choose a cloud backup provider that offers unlimited previous file versioning and sends you email backup reports. Here’s why these two features are critical:
Previous file versions allow you to go back in time and to recover a file from a different point in time (ie: before the virus took hold). By recovering a file from a previous point in time, you’ll be able to recover the majority of your data without having to pay ransom, although you may lose a file change or two depending on how far back you have to go. It’s imperative that you opt for unlimited previous file version history retention rather than the standard 30 days most cloud providers offer. Sometimes viruses may go unnoticed until after 30 days have past, at which point you won’t be able to recover any uninfected data.
Email backup reports are often the first sign that a virus has taken hold of your data. You should monitor these reports to catch ransomware early. This works best if your cloud service provider only backs up recently changed and created files. When you notice an unusually high number of file changes, you may have a virus on your hands.
You can access unlimited previous file versions and email backup reports of recently changed and created files free for 30 days with Nordic Backup’s free trial for businesses. Take the first step in keeping your data secure and retrievable no matter what.
