Perhaps the most dangerous and notorious modern malware, ransomware affects businesses and industries without any regard to size or scope. It can even impact individual users and get away with it. We urge businesses to consider the other dangers associated with ransomware beyond just paying the ransom, as they extend far beyond and could have lasting impacts on your operations.
The more complex and robust your IT infrastructure is, the greater the chances that it will undergo a system failure. Basically, according to Murphy’s Law, if something can go wrong, you should expect it to go wrong. To counteract this mentality with real, tangible methods that you can control, you’ll want to implement solutions that prioritize redundancy. This week’s blog is all about how you can build redundancy into your infrastructure through the use of data backup and restoration systems.
There are some security issues that businesses are much more likely to experience than others, including the following. Let’s go over how you can protect your organization from these challenges and why it is so important that you take precautions now, before it’s too late.
We throw around the term “ransomware” an awful lot, and while we’re confident that most people have some level of familiarity with the concept at this point, it is important that we acknowledge that not everyone has our experience in dealing with it. As such, we wanted to answer some of the questions we hear fairly often about ransomware.
As one of the world’s most popular messaging applications, WhatsApp is a well-known tool, even in the business world. More notable is that WhatsApp—a platform known for its end-to-end encryption and security—now has a modified and unofficial version called YoWhatsApp, which has been deploying malware to unsuspecting users.
Malware has plagued anyone using technology for a long time, and while security has certainly gone a long way toward protecting users from malware, so too have the threats grown more powerful and dangerous—especially for businesses. Let’s take a look at some common ways individuals might find themselves with a malware problem.
Ransomware is an incredibly potent threat that has ravaged the cybersecurity landscape for several years now. Many users who get struck by ransomware feel like they have no choice but to pay the ransom, but others have banded together to create a community of resilience in the face of such a threat. Thanks to the efforts of one particular agency, victims of malware can enjoy access to malware removal tools for free.
Cybercrime is a problem that is only getting worse, and as you might expect, it’s no good for business. It puts your organization in a position where it has to take steps toward securing its infrastructure, whether you like it or not. Let’s go over some of the problems associated with cybercrime and why you need to implement these measures sooner rather than later.
When people talk about network security, it’s just like they are talking about any other subject, the most terrible and devastating of the bunch is all that is spoken about. In the case of malware, there is a lot of information about ransomware going around out there because it is largely the worst type of ransomware there is for any organization. Unfortunately, malware is a vast and largely misunderstood thing. Today, we thought we would briefly go through modern malware so you can identify if you are a victim or not.
There are all kinds of threats out there that can make things difficult for your business, but one of the biggest threats from this past year was ransomware. Ransomware encrypts data on the victim’s device so that it is inaccessible without the decryption key. Hackers have been successful with these extortion methods, as well as many others, yet ransomware continues to be a serious source of anxiety for businesses of all sizes and industries.
There is such a heavy focus on malware that targets desktop PCs, laptops, and servers, but there are mobile malware types too, one of which is TangleBot, a pesky malware that hits the Android operating system. This particular threat is dangerous due to the increasing reliance on mobile technology in today’s workplace.
There are many different types of hacking attacks, but those targeting your computer can either be incredibly intrusive or so low-profile that you don’t even know you’ve been infected until it’s too late to do anything about it. Let’s discuss some of the telltale signs of a hack and what you should look for to prevent or identify them.
It’s one thing to avoid ransomware entirely, but what does a business do when it’s already within its walls? Today we are going to discuss how your business can recover from a ransomware attack, as well as measures and solutions you can implement to ensure that it doesn’t happen again.
The attack on SolarWinds earlier this year caused a lot of challenges, and now that time has passed and the dust has settled somewhat, Microsoft has uncovered another type of malware associated with the attack. This one is called FoggyWeb. What does this threat do and what can we learn about it?
If you use almost any Apple products, you’ll want to check for and apply an update that will prevent your devices from being spied on. Apple has just issued an emergency software update for a critical vulnerability that was recently discovered.
The new updates were pushed out on Monday, September 13th, 2021, and include a major security fix for the Apple iPhone, Apple iPad, Apple Watch, and Apple Mac computers and laptops.
Ransomware has been a scourge to businesses for years now, with it unfortunately experiencing a renaissance of sorts as the COVID-19 pandemic came to the fore. With increased phishing attacks and other means of spreading ransomware now taking advantage of the ongoing situation, it is all the more important that these attempts can be identified and mitigated.
Countless high-profile ransomware attacks have surfaced over the past several years, all against targets like manufacturers, pipelines, hospitals, and utility companies. Obviously, these attacks are a cause for concern, but some small businesses might make the mistake of thinking themselves too small to target. Unfortunately, this is simply not the case; we’ll help you protect your business from these devastating cyberattacks.
Let’s dive into the details and see what can be learned from this ransomware attack.
Kaseya is a software vendor that works closely with managed service providers (MSPs) to provide IT solutions. The software designed by Kaseya is meant to be used by managed service providers and large enterprises to manage and support technology across multiple networks. As reported by ZDNet, at least 40,000 companies worldwide use at least one tool created by Kaseya.
The attack in question leveraged a vulnerability in Kaseya’s VSA service, which is basically a remote monitoring and management tool.
Since Kaseya plays such a key role in connecting IT companies to the businesses that they support, it should come as no surprise that such a ransomware attack could have profound effects on both the MSP service industry and the countless businesses that are supported by them. If your IT provider happened to use this particular software, there is a good chance that you were unlucky enough to become a victim of this attack, especially if other countermeasures weren’t in place.
To give you an idea of how this attack has progressed, let’s take a look at the timeline, as it was reported by ZDNet:
The attack itself is thought to have been administered via an automated malicious software update, bypassing authentication and executing commands remotely. More information on this attack can be found in Kaseya’s briefing on the incident here.
Since this particular issue was caused by a zero-day vulnerability (a previously unknown vulnerability) in a provider’s systems, it is hard to fault anyone in particular for this hack, but it does further reinforce the importance of monitoring your system for irregularities, as this attack was only uncovered as a result of such monitoring. Imagine the damage that could have been caused by this threat if it were to remain undiscovered for an extended period of time. It just goes to show that even businesses that do everything right can still become victims of ransomware attacks.
While there are countermeasures to prevent ransomware attacks and restorative measures to get back in business after being attacked, if these measures weren’t in place for a company that was a victim of the attack, things probably aren’t looking very good.
We can’t stress enough that it is critical to have a solid backup solution in place that is regularly tested and reviewed. It’s also a good idea to have your network hardened and evaluated at least once a year to help it withstand ransomware attacks and other threats. Even if you need a second option, we’re happy to help.
Therefore, you should always take preventative measures to ensure that ransomware is as mitigated as possible. We can help your business keep itself safe from threats of all kinds. To learn more, reach out to us at (704) 665-1619.
Once again, ransomware strikes, this time targeting the world’s largest meat processor and distributor, JBS S.A. This disruptive cyberattack forced the company to suspend operations in both North America and Australia, a move which had devastating consequences to the supply chain. What can we learn from this situation?
Anyone who uses a computer regularly knows that software can be finicky. Developers continuously update their software to account for changes in security threats and to add new features. For the small business, integrating and developing software can be useful, but it can also be one of the most problematic issues you can face; and, oftentimes it can often go under the radar. Let’s look at a few ways that old software bugs can cause problems for your business.