Reduce The Risk of Ransomware Infection

As every new year begins, software becomes a more integral part of our daily lives. It's only logical that the prevalence of security threats is equally increasing. Ransomware and malware infection specifically cause millions of dollars in damage and massive disruption to business.

For businesses that suddenly face this type of cyber-extortion to access their data, the effects can be catastrophic and often business-ending. Even if a business can recover from data loss or downtime, far more remains at risk. There is damage to reputation, customer relationships, legal repercussions, and more to consider. This makes ransomware education all the more crucial.

How do I know if I’m at risk?

Understanding the common methods by which ransomware infiltrates systems and propagates itself is critical to preventing infection. These methods commonly used to gain access also offer valuable hints as to the best response in a disaster scenario. Such methods include;

• Exploiting Vulnerabilities
  Numerous weaknesses exist within hardware infrastructure, software, and network devices. One method to exploit these weaknesses is by tricking users into an action that delivers malicious software to your system. Once in place, this “Trojan” horse takes advantage of the security hole in order to deliver the ransomware and extort victims.
  
  
• Phishing
  As unsolicited spam email has become commonplace in modern times, attackers and their Ransomware have evolved to become more sophisticated. Messages are received that appear to come from business partners, coworkers, and friends to establish trust and lure users into downloading attachments or clicking dangerous links.
  
  
• Malicious Advertising
  Malicious advertisements can be embedded within legitimate websites in order to trick users into clicking on dangerous links. These links may even appear as websites that have been visited before, but lead users towards downloading exploit packages that introduce ransomware. These links may appear as helpful software such as Antivirus and other utilities.
  
  
• Self-Propagation
  Ransomware is designed to reach as many victims as possible, and accordingly, hackers build creative measures for self-propagation. Whether spreading to additional systems on your network or accessing your email contacts, there are numerous paths that malware takes to replicate itself. 
  
  
• Ransomware-As-A-Service
  Cybercriminals have created organizations from which countless ransomware variants can be purchased. These Ransomware-As-A-Service (RaaS) groups have made it easy for even non-technical criminals to take part in cybercrime. 

Learn more about the risks of Ransomware infection, symptoms, prevention, and paths to recovery by downloading our free whitepaper "Emergency Response for Ransomware". Through education and clear policies within the workplace, you can greatly reduce the risk of ransomware infection.