One day you can lose all of your data. Your business files can disappear in a second with a simple click. Many of you have already experienced this. And those of you that haven’t – you just haven’t yet. Data loss can happen at any time and in many ways – it can be due a physical failure of your PC, theft, fire and even a dropped coffee mug. But it also can be a work of a hacking or some other cyber crime, so it’s very important to prevent Cryptolocker attacks.
CryptoLocker is a ransomware trojan which targets computers running Microsoft Windows. It appeared in 2013. and it is typically propagated as an email attachment from a legitimate company. Maybe it sounds like an easy deal, but with a simple click it can become a real nightmare for any business. These are the 7 ways to prevent Cryptolocker attacks:
1. Back up your data
Best way to defeat ransomware is to have a regular updated backup. If you are attacked maybe you will lose this morning work, but your business data from the previous backup can be easily restored and saved.
2. Educate your employees about the CryptoLocker attacks
Since CryptoLocker malware comes through infected attachments in mail, best prevention is educating employees to recognize unwanted mails and trash them. CryptoLocker comes in a form of an .exe file (example: Invoice.pdf.exe), an executable file unsafe to open if it comes from an email or the internet. Best way to educate your employees is by conducting continuous security awareness training and phishing simulations.
3. Use an anti-virus, and keep it up to date
Many CryptoLocker victims had a malware inside their PCs without even knowing about it! A cloud based security solution will provide complete protection against all major threats, including CryptoLocker all the time. Prevention is first step to safety!
4. Keep your operating system and software up to date
Malware authors frequently rely on people running outdated software with known vulnerabilities, which they can exploit to sneak into computers unnoticed through security holes. Enable automatic updates if you can, or go directly to the software vendor’s website, as malware authors like to disguise their creations as software update notifications too.
5. Review your user permissions and tighten up wherever you can
Ensure that none of your users have local administration rights unless absolutely necessary.
6. Use advanced Firewall tools that can block encrypted methods
Using a cloud-based security intelligence network, the ability to detect and block malware using sandbox technology is improved. Any known malware is automatically blocked, with suspicious files being placed in a isolation to be tested before infection can occur.
7. Use the ITAF Spamcluster
Unreceived mail will certainly not be opened! ITAF provides a spamcluster which filters mails with suspicious attachments. This way end user never gets the fake e-mail and a chance to open the infected attachment. In any case, prevention is always the best cure!
What if it is too late to prevent Cryptolocker attacks?
The cryptolocker locks extensions that are used daily from docx, xlsx, pptx, jpg, to mp3 and more… If it is too late, the following files are impacted:
- All the files on your local PC
- All the files on the fileserver you have access to (and yes – it easily impacts the whole business!).
Act before it is too late! Protect your business files within a private cloud solution, and keep your employees educated about the Cryptolocker attacks. Prevention is always the best cure – contact us for more information.
