How to Recover from a Ransomware Attack
As defined by the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) ransomware website US-CERT, “ransomware” is defined as: “a sort of malicious software, or malware, that is meant to prevent a computer system or its data from being accessed until a ransom is paid.” Ransomware is generally spread through phishing emails or by visiting an infected website without realizing it.”
Ransomware assaults by cybercriminals have cost victims hundreds of thousands of dollars, with one research estimating that the overall cost in the United States might reach $1.4 billion by 2020. Organizations from every industry, government agencies, information technology service providers, and educational institutions have all been targeted in the greatest attacks. Although no company is immune from these threats, some strategies may be used to help guarantee that your organization is prepared.
Best Practices for Ransomware Attack Recovery
When a company is hit by a ransomware assault, it is one of the worst-case recovery scenarios that might occur. In the aftermath of the attack, a firm or government agency will likely be dealing with widespread operational and logistical challenges. Rubrik has assisted several customers in regaining control of their systems following a ransomware assault. As a result, we developed a set of best practices to assist in the preparation for, detection, and remediation of ransomware attacks, among other things. Best practices for ransomware attack preparation consist of the following five fundamental steps:
- Putting yourself in the best position for success by planning for a ransomware assault in advance will put you in the best position for success.
- Preventive measures—Use third-party solutions to keep ransomware from infiltrating and infecting computer systems. Prevent ransomware assaults from causing damage by identifying them as soon as they occur.
- Run technologies such as Rubrik Radar to detect where ransomware has infiltrated the network, allowing for surgical remediation to take place.
- Determine what needs to be recovered first and when it needs to be recovered during an examination.
- Data recovery is only possible when ransomware has been neutralized and prevented from infecting other computers.
- The Most Important Components of a Successful Ransomware Recovery Plan
- If your information technology resources are compromised by ransomware, you must be prepared to respond to the attack as soon as possible. The following activities should be included in a ransomware recovery plan:
Key Elements of an Effective Ransomware Recovery Plan
- To begin, locate and delete any trigger file(s) that may have been installed on any of the devices in your network.
The attack style should be determined because this will aid in the determination of the next measures to be taken. There are two main types of ransomware: those that lock the screen and those that encrypt the data. - Unplug every vulnerable device from your network—To mitigate the impacts of ransomware, you should disconnect every vulnerable device from your network to prevent the attack from spreading.
- Get a better understanding of ransomware
- Data recovery with web-based tools may be possible depending on the sort of ransomware attack that has been launched. In some cases, you may be able to decode the encrypted files with the help of a ransomware encryption removal program. Consult with malware experts for assistance.
- Restore file systems to their previous state—
- In an ideal situation, you’ll want to recover as much “lost” data as you possibly can. That is accomplished through the use of backup data but proceed with caution. Given the fact that ransomware can have dwell durations of up to six months, it is possible that malware was included in your archive backups. Before restoring, make sure to run an anti-malware package on all of your computers.
- An Overview of Rubrik’s Approach to Ransomware Protection
Rubrik is not a solution for ransomware prevention or detection. Instead, it serves as the last line of defense for the identification and repair of an attack after it has already occurred. Rubrik can determine when data has been altered by ransomware by introspection of backups, which is accomplished through the use of machine learning. It is then possible to identify uninfected copies of that data, which can be used to carefully restore data following a ransomware attack. If this is not done, entire systems must be recovered, resulting in the loss of valuable data that was not contaminated in the first place.
Defending against a ransomware attack entails much more than simply paying or refusing to pay a ransom. The underlying issue here is the security of your essential data. Being prepared to cope with an assault and having a plan in place for recovering from an attack can help to ensure the continuity of the organization.