I saw an article about this recently and went searching for an earlier publication date. This type of thing is typical of a first response, knee-jerk reaction because somebody found a hole in your procedures and this at the time seems to be the cheapest way out. Like all thugs though paying them off simply encourages more of the same behavior and does nothing to guarantee that you will get your data back. Like many other “protection” schemes it also tells the attacker they can come back and hit you again at will or they will tell their criminal friends that you are an open and easy target.
So what can you do? You can simply be prepared and for quite a bit less than you think. Here’s a short list of how you can decrease your chances of being hit by ransomware and if you are struck how to recover from it without paying a criminal’s ransom:
- Follow my Basics of Not Getting Infected
- Have a proper backup plan in place that is automated and does versioning that is ransomware resistant.
- Decline to pay the criminal ransom.
Sounds simple right? For most of my client base the answers are not purely technological but are also operational. How you use your technology is just as important as the technology you choose for your business operations. The siren songs you hear about how this technology will keep you safe or that gear will most assuredly protect your data are most times false without training in proper operations. If you want to make sure your small business is operating securely contact ETC Maryland for a consultation.