5 Most Expensive Ransomware Payouts

Ever wonder how much companies have paid to unlock their own data after getting hit by ransomware?

Watch this video for the top 5 ransomware payouts!

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Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to protect your business from ransomware attacks and recover from them if they happen. In this blog post, we will share some tips and best practices from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), CISA, and other experts on how to prevent and respond to ransomware attacks.

Prevention Tips

The best way to avoid ransomware attacks is to prevent them from happening in the first place. Here are some prevention tips that you can implement in your business:

• Use antivirus software at all times. Make sure your antivirus software is set up to automatically scan your emails and removable media (such as flash drives) for ransomware and other malware.
• Keep all computers fully patched with security updates. Run scheduled checks to keep your operating systems, applications, and firmware up-to-date with the latest security patches.
• Use security products or services that block access to known ransomware sites on the internet. These products or services can prevent your computers from connecting to malicious domains or IP addresses that host ransomware or other malware.
• Configure operating systems or use third-party software to allow only authorized applications to run on your computers. This can prevent ransomware from working by restricting the execution of unauthorized or unknown programs.
• Restrict or prohibit use of personally owned devices on your organization’s networks and for telework or remote access. Unless you are taking extra steps to ensure security, such as using a virtual private network (VPN) or a secure cloud service, do not allow employees to use their personal devices (such as laptops, tablets, or smartphones) to access your organization’s data or systems.
• Use standard user accounts instead of accounts with administrative privileges whenever possible. This can limit the damage that ransomware can do by reducing the access rights of the infected user account.
• Avoid using personal applications and websites, such as email, chat, and social media, on work computers. These applications and websites can expose your computers to phishing emails, malicious links, or infected attachments that can deliver ransomware or other malware.
• Avoid opening files, clicking on links, or downloading attachments from unknown sources. Before opening any file, link, or attachment, check them for suspicious content. For example, you can run an antivirus scan on a file, or inspect a link carefully by hovering over it with your mouse cursor.

Response Tips

Despite your best efforts, you may still fall victim to a ransomware attack. If that happens, you need to act quickly and effectively to minimize the impact and restore your operations. Here are some response tips that you can follow in case of a ransomware attack:

• Develop and implement an incident recovery plan with defined roles and strategies for decision making. Having a plan in place can help you respond faster and more efficiently to a ransomware attack. Your plan should include steps such as isolating the infected devices, notifying the relevant stakeholders, contacting law enforcement, assessing the damage, restoring backups, and recovering data.
• Carefully plan, implement, and test a data backup and restoration strategy. One of the most effective ways to recover from a ransomware attack is to restore your data from secure backups. You should backup your data regularly and separately from your main network, using offline storage devices or cloud services. You should also test your backups periodically to ensure that they are working properly.
• Maintain an up-to-date list of internal and external contacts for ransomware attacks. You should have a list of people or organizations that you can contact in case of a ransomware attack, such as IT staff, management, legal counsel, public relations, customers, vendors, law enforcement agencies, cybersecurity experts, and information sharing groups.
• Do not pay the ransom. Paying the ransom is not recommended for several reasons. First, there is no guarantee that you will get your data back or that it will not be corrupted or compromised. Second, paying the ransom may encourage more ransomware attacks in the future. Third, paying the ransom may violate laws or regulations that prohibit transactions with certain entities or countries.

Conclusion

Ransomware attacks are a serious threat to your business, but they can be prevented and mitigated with proper planning and preparation. By following the tips and best practices outlined in this blog post, you can protect your data, systems, and reputation from ransomware attacks. If you need more information or assistance on ransomware prevention and response for your business, contact us today. Stay safe and secure!

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