There are two things we can say for sure about data backup and recovery. One, it’s a drag to think about. Two, it’s essential. While the road to securing your system is tough, we hope you learn from the lessons of those who lost that battle and get on a path to planning your recovery strategy.
Oops, Your Files are Encrypted
If you’ve seen this on your screen, you’ve unfortunately been the target of a cyberattack. We won’t say don’t worry, but you aren’t alone: “A company is hit with ransomware every 40 seconds.” This shouldn’t be surprising. Ransomware toolkits are readily available, nearly untraceable, and require a skill level on par with operating iTunes. At this point, if you haven’t been hit with a ransomware attack, consider yourself lucky. But the truth is, an attack is probably coming.
We see this every day in the news. A strain of ransomware called WannaCry hits computers in 150 countries around the world, demanding $300 in bitcoin. Then, Petya, another ransomware strain, demands bitcoin equivalent to $250,000. Pardon the lengthy passage from Wired:
In 2012, Symantec gained access to a command-and-control server used by the CryptoDefense malware and got a glimpse of the hackers’ haul based on transactions for two Bitcoin addresses the attackers used to receive ransoms. Out of 5,700 computers infected with the malware in a single day, about three percent of victims appeared to shell out for the ransom. At an average of $200 per victim, Symantec estimated that the attackers hauled in at least $34,000 that day. Extrapolating from this, they would have earned more than $394,000 in a month.
Ransomware is big business, and it’s not going away anytime soon.
So, What Do You Do?
Do you cross your fingers and hope it doesn’t happen to your business? Probably not the best move. But, frankly, it’s common. Many businesses we talk to often chalk their lack of backup recovery to the idea that they’re too small to be noticed by big, international hacking communities. But the truth is that all businesses are targets. Asking small ransoms to an organization that has no IT staff, no backup recovery plan, means the business will probably pay just to get it over with.
How do you decide? Because when that day comes, you have two choices: Pay the ransom on your data or take a stand (the “We don’t negotiate with terrorists” approach).
At Axxys, our goal is to set you up with a backup recovery plan so you don’t have to make decisions like what ransom amount your data is worth. We use some of the latest techniques in cybersecurity to shield your data from the internet’s bad actors. We monitor your internet usage to see where gaps in security exist. Our process is designed to protect your hard-earned data, so you can focus on what you do best.
Protecting your business is your highest priority. Don’t operate one day without backup recovery. Call us today to get started.
