Fighting Back Against Ransomware

As you’ve probably seen in the news this weekend, criminal hackers have released a new strain of ransomware that spreads itself automatically across all workstations in a network, causing a global epidemic. If you or a co-worker are not paying attention and accidentally open one of these phishing email attachments, you might infect not only your own workstation, but immediately everyone else's computer too. 

Be very careful when you get an email with an attachment you did not ask for. If there is a .zip file in the attachment, do not click on it but delete the whole email. Remember: "When in doubt, throw it out!"

Check out this video for a quick overview on protecting yourself against ransomware and phishing attacks.

Cyber Advisors’ Ransomware Checkup – How vulnerable are you to Ransomware?

Cyber Advisors Ransomware Assessment simulates a real ransomware attack to directly test the effectiveness of an organization’s controls. This assessment can confirm whether logging, monitoring, and alerting systems are properly configured to alert on suspicious activity. This assessment can also serve as a test for security controls, malicious macros, user susceptibility, and Incident Response procedures. Additionally, this test provides an overall snapshot of how business will be affected by this kind of an attack. Optionally, a phishing campaign can be launched against the customer’s workforce to assess vulnerabilities.

Ransomware can incapacitate a business, and Cyber Advisor’s Ransomware Assessment can help businesses avoid a disaster.

Cyber Advisors’ process is based on the NIST Cybersecurity Framework.  A comprehensive review of administrative controls, processes, backups, response procedures, monitoring, and logging.

An assessment of antimalware, IDS, firewalls, and SIEM systems is conducted and documented.

Lite Assessment: Complementary (2 hours)

• Discuss current environment and threat landscape
• Discuss risk
• Schedule follow up in-depth assessment
• Conduct a risk analysis and establish a plan to remediate identified risks.
• Review Firewall Logs
  • Optional Indepth firewall monitoring for remote command and control callbacks, a vector for PII and PHA data is leaked to nation state attackers.
• Tools in the environment advanced spam & malware detection technologies at your email gateway (attachment detonation, sandboxing, 0 day attack awareness, etc.)
• Implement procedures to safeguard against malicious software.
• Train authorized users to detect malicious software and report such detections. I.e., identify malicious/fake websites, unusual increases in processing activity, suspicious network communications.
• Focus on back-ups and redundant systems.
• IOT and connected devices must be part of risk assessment.
• Analysis of specific encryption mechanism may be necessary.

Also check out Cyber Advisors' Top 5.5 Solutions to protect your organization against ransomware.

If you’d like to learn more about protecting your organization from ransomware or how to complete a Ransomware Assessment contact us today.