Cybersecurity is the top concern of every business these days because reports of cyber-attacks and data breaches are very common in daily news headlines. And one of the most serious threats for organizations in this regard is ransomware. Unlike other cyber-attacks (that operate in the background and try to be undetectable), ransomware is a straightforward attack. Ransomware operators focus on their primary goal, get your attention so you pay the financial demand. In most cases, organizations, due to their weak cybersecurity measures, couldn’t get success in ransomware recovery and pay the ransom for getting back their data.
The threat of ransomware is huge and it is getting bigger and bigger every day. There are great chances that this menace has already affected you or will affect you in the nearest future. You can only save yourself if you create an advanced security strategy for your company and strictly follow the measures. There is another more convenient option for keeping your systems and data secure from cyber-attacks and that is hiring the services of cyber security solutions. This blog post will give an in-depth understanding of how ransomware works and how you can recover your data.
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3 Most Common Ways Through Which Ransomware Encrypts Your Files:
Ransomware succeeds only when organizations have poor security solutions. Businesses that have outdated security policies and procedures around data security are the most vulnerable to cyber-attacks. Here are some of the most common ways through which businesses fall victims to ransomware attacks:
Phishing Attacks:
Ransomware can infect your system and software with a malicious email attack known as a phishing attack. The operators of ransomware use massive networks of internet-connected devices (botnets) to send phishing emails to unsuspecting victims. These emails are very provocative for receiversto trick them into clicking on a malicious attachment or link. Doing so can secretly install the ransomware virus or other malware on their systems.
Cybercriminals always use some clever ways for launching a phishing attack which is why phishing emails are becoming increasingly difficult to detect. So, it is very important to have an intact and advanced security strategy in place for warding off all cyber-attacks.
Compromised Passwords:
The ransomware operators can use previously compromised passwords by your employees for gaining access to your systems and network. Reusing the old password on any device and using the same password for multiple accounts and authentication processes are poor security practices. Trying the old compromised passwords for new ransomware attacks is a very common phenomenon. Therefore, it is very important to follow good password hygiene always.
Open Remote Desktop Protocol Ports (RDP):
Businesses that have not properly configured their network security are most likely to leave their RDP (Remote Desktop protocol Ports) open. This is the same as leaving your front gate open when you go outside. Hence, this provides an opportunity for cyberpunks to come through with little deterrence.
And once a cybercriminal is connected to your network, he can install ransomware and additional back doors to access your network at a later date. Most of the hackers use this method because many companies are not even aware of this security vulnerability. So, if you want to keep your organization safe, never forget to close the RDP port on your endpoints and servers before it’s too late.
Some Practical Methods for Ransomware Recovery:
If your system and network have been hijacked by ransomware operators with some kind of encryption, the following are the options you can try to restore files encrypted or locked by ransomware:
Recover Files with a Backup:
If some kind of ransomware has infected your files and data, the first thing to try for recovery is to use backups. But for this, you must have kept backups of your data and the backups should also be secured from an attack.
Off-Site or Offline Backup:
The best way to keep your backup secure and safe from all types of cyber-attacks is to keep it offline. Also, if you store your backup in the cloud, it will remain safe because it is not accessible at the time of the attack.
Check your Windows Shadow Copies:
Although in most cases the ransomware operators will delete Windows Shadow Copies, yet you might get lucky and find them intact.
Check Your On-Site Backups:
There are chances that your on-site backup has remained safe during an attack. Therefore, try to recover your data from there.
Breaking the Ransomware Encryption:
Although the majority of ransomware encryptions are unbreakable, yet there are chances that you will break the encryption. If you try this with the help of some cyber security solutions providers, the chances of data recovery are even higher.
Recreate the Data:
Ransomware recovery is a tough task but you can sometimes recreate the data from a variety of sources as outlined below:
Recreate the Data from Paper Copies:
You can try to recreate your data from the hard copies you have kept for such scenarios.
Piece Together Data from Emails:
Email exchanges with employees and clients are a great way to salvage some of your data from email attachments.