What do
BCC, Swansea Public Schools and Nantucket Public Schools Have in Common?
Each of these schools was shuttered in separate ransomware
attacks in the thirty-eight days from December 23 to January 31. The Bristol
Community College attack on December 23 was the worst, keeping the systems
down at the school for a week. The Swansea
Public Schools attack was next on January 3rd, but Swansea fared
better, only closing school for a day and a half. Finally, Nantucket
Public Schools were closed on January 31. Children returned to school a day
and a half later, though the computer systems were not restored to normal
operation.
The schools all had to close their doors to students, some calling
back busses to send students home mid-day. Imagine if your organization had to
shut down every server, PC and Laptop. How would you serve your customers? If
you are like most business, your service would come to a crawl if not a halt.
So, what is Ransomware and how can you protect your firm?
Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts your data
followed by a ransom demand to obtain the decryption key. Your systems won’t
function until your data is decrypted. Paying the ransom doesn’t guarantee you
will be able to restore your systems to normal or that you won’t be ransomed
again.
If you aren’t sure how well prepared you are to defend
against Ransomware, a good first step is a vulnerability scan. This is
performed using a tool designed to search for known security vulnerabilities. A
vulnerability assessment report will help you determine what steps will most
help prevent a Ransomware attack. Some vulnerabilities are fairly simple to
remediate and may be as simple as applying patches available for free from
product vendors. The key is getting started and knowing where you stand.
What about longer term solutions?
There are many cyber security tools available and the
technology can be daunting. Fortunately, MTSi has designed our basic managed
services plan to cover the most essential components of cyber security. A
typical managed services plan includes software patching, Endpoint Detection
and Response (EDR), Managed Detection and Response (MDR), and monitoring of
your backup. These are the essential first steps in a solid security plan. Once
these basic protections are in place, our team can help you with a variety of
other tools like Multi-Factor Authentication, security awareness training and
DNS security.
We’re always glad to visit and speak to you about the tools
you are currently using and what is available.
If you would like to know more about Ransomware prevention,
contact our sales team [email protected]