The Best Ransomware Protection for 2021
As we all know, ransomware attacks can have serious consequences. Even if the ransom was paid, the consequences of a successful ransomware attack can cause damage to brand and reputation, lost productivity, and compromise data. Current news of the gasoline shortage on the U.S. East Coast after a ransomware attack reminds us that consequences can be far-reaching. And the first death known to be associated with a ransomware attack in 2020, proved they can be deadly.
The Ransomware Explosion
Ransomware activity has increased sevenfold in the second half of 2020, compared to the first. Ransomware was already a popular choice for cybercriminals due to its low barrier of entry and a high potential for financial gains. It evolved in three main ways, which led to massive growth.
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- Ransomware-as-a-Service (RaaS) continued to expand rapidly.
- It was the art of targeting organizations based upon their ability to pay (“Big Game Hunting”) that was perfected.
- Great success was had with threats to reveal compromised data if demanded.
It is becoming increasingly common for ransomware to be targeted, given the increasing sophistication and volume of ransomware attacks. While the healthcare industry tends to be most attacked by ransomware, it targets every industry and every size organization around the globe.
The rapid shift to telework has meant that enterprise security measures designed to protect employees at the corporate office are less effective. Bad actors are exploiting this vulnerability to attack home offices.
Can Ransomware be stopped?
As ransomware continues to enjoy great success, employees struggle to recognize malicious emails and the cyber skills gap persists, it may seem like ransomware is unstoppable.
The good news is that you don’t have to become a victim. While you may not be able to avoid being a victim, ransomware can still make it work. These attacks can be stopped with the right technology and preparation.
It is recommended to have a comprehensive security strategy. This should include security controls and processes at every stage of the kill cycle. Advanced endpoint security is the best technology for preventing ransomware damages. It unites the detection, prevention, and response functions in real-time. Modern approaches that use behavioral analysis instead of matching to known threat intelligence have proven highly effective in covering target endpoint devices, both old and new.
What is Endpoint Security?
Endpoint protection platforms (EPP) are designed to prevent threats from installing on your devices and running. The purpose of an EDR, on the other hand, is to detect threats that have been installed and started to run on a device in your network and automatically respond to them. It will analyze the nature and provide information to your team about how the threat was initiated, the parts it attacked, the current state of its activities, and the best way to stop it from spreading. EDR solutions further protect your network by stopping the threat from spreading and containing it.
An EDR solution can detect potentially malicious processes and defuse them instantly by stopping the malicious actions. This effectively stops the attack, stops credential theft and data exfiltration, and buys time for security professionals to investigate and remedy.
EPP and EDR both are necessary, but they should be combined into one solution to provide unified protection. EDR is essential because advanced threats are more likely to get past the EPP.
What you should look for in modern endpoint security
Endpoint Security solutions can vary greatly so it is important to ensure that the solution stops ransomware. Some began as EPP and later added EDR. Some started as EDR and then added EPP later. Modern cyberattacks can be stopped by modern endpoint security solutions that use a behavior-based approach. This will allow it to prevent new attacks even before threat intelligence is available. It can also protect files and systems even after an attack has occurred. This will ensure that it can protect against ransomware attacks. The solution must be able to restore encrypted files instantly across Windows, Mac, Linux, and other systems.
Finally, the solution should include automation features to speed containment and remediation. These actions include closing down processes, removing infected files, clearing up persistent infections, notifying users, opening tickets, and many other things. Endpoints can now be protected in real-time, pre-or post-infection, using a behavior-based EPP/EDR combination. This reduces cyber risk and standardizes incident response processes. It also optimizes security and operations resources.
An Automated, Unified Approach is the Key
A real-time approach to cyber security is essential as the threat landscape becomes more complex. High availability is possible even during ransomware attacks by being able to detect, defuse and prevent threats.