We are living in unprecedented times in the field of cybersecurity. Ransomware assaults are particularly common, generating up to $350 million in 2020, a 311 percent rise over the previous year, prompting INTERPOL Secretary-General Jürgen Stock to call for a global plan to combat the problem.
In 2022, ransomware activity increased rapidly, with high-profile ransomware attacks targeting important infrastructure, private companies, and municipalities garnering headlines practically everyday. Threat actors have also evolved, grabbing critical firm data and threatening to disclose and sell it to the highest bidder.
To reduce the danger of becoming a victim, businesses must take the appropriate precautions to protect their important systems and data. This post will look at a few elements that could make a company vulnerable to a ransomware assault.
The use of Legacy Software or Outdated Equipment
Cybercriminals target legacy infrastructure because it is often incapable of resisting more current cyber attacks and methodologies, making it easier for them to acquire access and move laterally across the network. Because they are well past their support cycles, patch release is often sluggish or non-existent. Companies must segregate their legacy infrastructure from the rest of their infrastructure if changing or modernizing the software is not an option. It’s not just software that’s at risk; out-of-date equipment can also put businesses at risk. For example, in the healthcare industry, the usage of old or unpatched systems and equipment is becoming a serious problem, as facilities such as hospitals tend to keep technology for many years, if not decades.
Unpatched Software and/or Operating Systems
Hackers are actively seeking for unpatched systems to exploit known or zero-day vulnerabilities all across the world. According to the Ponemon Institute’s ServiceNow study, 57 percent of respondents who had a security breach stated the breaches were caused by unpatched software vulnerabilities. Patch management practices are now more important than ever, and neglecting to patch systems with the latest security upgrades may be extremely costly for businesses in the long term.
Protection Against Ransomware
As the saying goes, prevention is always preferable to cure. To actively avoid infection, Malwarebytes advises businesses to repair any vulnerabilities that may exist within their systems as soon as possible, and to keep a watch out for the following four areas:
- Update your operating system/windows: Maintain the most recent versions of browsers, operating systems, and other software applications. Updating your programs and operating systems on a regular basis will help protect you from malware. When conducting updates, make sure you have the most recent security patches. This makes it more difficult for thieves to take advantage of software flaws.
- Educate users: One of the most prevalent ways for computers to become infected with ransomware is through social engineering. Phishing efforts, strange websites, and other scams should all be taught to users.
- Make safe backups of your data on a regular basis and store them offsite. If you have a clean backup of your data before ransomware attacks, you’ll be able to retrieve it safely and easily without ever having to pay a ransom.
Vinchin offers a layered security solution that addresses all four of these crucial areas, as well as others. Vinchin’s Xenserver backup actively protects your files from ransomware that encrypts them and demands payment. It even protects against threats that traditional antivirus software misses, such as zero-day ransomware attacks. Furthermore, Vinchin’ ransomware protection employs AI and machine learning to safeguard you against new online threats.
So, take the first step toward proactive prevention and check out Vinchin‘s protection solution right now.
