Ransomware is a highly specific and extremely harmful iteration of malware that cybercriminals developed to extort money from businesses and other organizations with protected or privileged data. Ransomware works by finding and blocking access to your mission-critical data until you pay up–quite literally holding your data ransom. 

The cybercriminals claim that you will get your data back after paying, but nearly 40% of ransomware victims never regain access to their data. Unfortunately, most businesses have no choice but to do what they can to get their data back. And of the businesses who pay the ransom, 73% are targeted again. This happens because once you pay, you’ve been labeled an “easy mark.” 

Paying the ransom proves that you have no disaster recovery plan or backup procedure in place, and that leaves your company’s valuable data vulnerable to further attacks.

How Did Ransomware Get Into My System?

Ransomware is commonly distributed through infected websites email phishing schemes. Ransomware protection is critical. “Phishing” is a technique that sends out emails that look like they’re from trusted or familiar sources. The hope is that you’ll click on an infected link or attachment in the email, triggering the ransomware to infect your system. 

Training your employees to spot suspicious links and attachments and developing policies and procedures around these safety measures is your first line of defense against ransomware. But as ransomware evolves, it becomes more and more difficult to discern what emails are real and which are fake. Our cyber security firm’s experts suggest using behaviorally-based anti-ransomware technology, like the versions we use in our own business. 

How Can I Protect My Company Against Ransomware?

The best protection against ransomware is to be proactive with your IT security protocols. Once ransomware has infected your system, it’s likely that your data is lost forever. There are many softwares and monitoring programs available to help you detect and prevent Ransomware. However, the most effective way to repel ransomware is to use a variety of systems and protocols in conjunction.

We protect your company against ransomware by partnering with the best security software developers and providers in the world. We hunt for the latest security updates and the newest software iterations. We seek out news on hackers and tweak your settings based on the most up-to-date information. We also monitor any security backdoors that may crack open as you expand your use of third-party APIs or mix programs that don’t necessarily have the most compatible infrastructures.

You can’t afford to lose the proprietary intellectual property or vital customer information that keeps your business running. And when you take into account soft costs like lost productivity hours, data reproduction and re-entry, and customer frustration on top of the ransom, ransomware is one of the most costly cyberattacks that can hit a business.  

Detect Attacks

We are constantly monitoring your systems in real-time for indicators of any cyber threat to your company’s security. This includes examining the process stack for any patterns of behavior that are typically attributed to ransomware and cryptojacking attacks.

Stop Encryption

If a malicious attack does attempt to infiltrate your system, it will start by trying to encrypt your data. We use a variety of AI and software to stop the process and notify you immediately of our suspicions. If the encryption is stopped in time, there is nothing for the cybercriminal to hold ransom. 

Restore Files

If any of your files are encrypted or altered, Scale will work to freeze and contain the virus. Once it has been halted, the disaster recovery and backup procedures we helped you design will kick in. We’ll automatically restore the files from your last cache and you’re good to go–no ransom required!