Warning: an increase in attacks using ransomware recorded!

More than $ 17,000 – the amount transferred by Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, located in Los Angeles, to anonymous hackers for the restoration work of the server. The entire medical centre was paralysed as a result of just one ransomware, which can encrypt the data of a hospital and that of all its patients.

These shocking events are occurring more and more often. Companies lose many important functions, and cannot communicate with clients in full, leading to the bankruptcy and closure of business. What can be done? Is there any salvation from the ransomware? There is a solution available, which you can learn about below, but for now let's talk a little about what is ransomware in general.

How does ransomware work?

This malicious program encrypts the contents of a site, and the victim get a warning that it must make a payment by a certain deadline. Otherwise, the encrypted content is deleted permanently.

According to an Engin Kirda report from the company Lastline Labs, in 2015 the number of ransomware attacks is up by 165% on previous years. Until now, we have heard about major incidents related to the Cryptolocker virus, which has infected more than 250,000 computers worldwide. In this year ransomware attacks have already hit major US medical centres and hospitals and even the US House of Representatives, marking the growth of ransomware attacks on its network.

Practice shows that many companies do not backup their data; then, in order to recover its operations, they have to pay large sums of money to the attackers, as happened in the case of the Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center.

However, paying off the attackers is not always a solution against hacking. There is no guarantee that all files will be decrypted again after the payment. As we know, the best form of protection is prevention, so business owners should think about protecting sensitive information in the early stages, before things go wrong. 

How to protect against ransomware?

No backup - no protection. This axiom should always be kept in mind. The first thing that you will be asked by security experts is whether your backup is stored in a safe place? In most cases, backups allow you to easily restore the company’s internal systems after the ransomware has been defeated.

Valuable corporate data must always be kept in a safe place, isolated from the company servers. A good way to create secure corporate file storage is to use the cloud service RushFiles. In this case, all important company data will be stored in the cloud, to which you can grant access only to specific users. Data can be easily synchronised and restored if necessary.

LeaderTelecom offers the cloud backup Dropmysite, which solves 99% of all problems with backup and recovery sites. Service allows you to automatically backup and restore a site from copies during various failures or break-ins. With a few clicks of the mouse, you can return the site to its normal operative state. The Dropmysite service eliminates the need to have your own security experts, because you can always get your own website up and running within a few minutes.

The presence of backups guarantees the smooth running of the site. With services such as Dropmysite and RushFiles, you will be protected from any ransomware.