Earlier this year, the aptly named WannaCry ransomware attack affected companies around the world by encrypting their data and demanding Bitcoin payments in exchange for its safe return. By the time the attack ended, 200,000 victims were reported and more than 300,000 computers infected, causing many business owners to question: what’s my data worth, and how do I protect it?

While the ongoing success of WannaCry has been limited by a ‘kill switch’, our team of experts believe that similar attacks are likely to proliferate. In fact, only one month after WannaCry, organizations in both the United States and Europe were affected by Petya– a cyberattack that again demanded Bitcoin in exchange for the safe return of data.

So how do you protect your business and its information assets? You can (and should) start today by following these 4 steps below.

1. Educate your employees

Ransomware is largely fueled by phishing scams; infected attachments or corrupt links that lead to the accidental installation of ransomware. Educating your employees on how to spot suspicious activity (ie: emails from unknown senders and/or misspelled links) greatly minimizes the chances of ransomware infiltrating your organization and causing preventable harm.

2. Update Regularly

Since Windows is the preferred operating system for ransomware attacks, it’s important to regularly update your systems with the latest security patches offered by Microsoft.

3. Detect

In some cases ransomware attacks happen gradually, encrypting data in such a manner that even with backup, large chunks of information becomes inaccessible. Introducing ransomware detection at the device, network, storage and backup levels helps to forecast vulnerabilities and prevents unexpected attacks.

4. 3-2-1 Backup

In the aftermath of a ransomware attack, many businesses rely on backup information as part of their overall continuity strategy. Unfortunately, those same businesses often aren’t regulating their backups, making data recovery difficult and costly. Implementing a 3-2-1 backup strategy means backing up 3 copies of data, using 2 different media, with 1 version being located off site, and ensures your company’s data is protected and accessible when you need it most.

Although ransomware is big, scary, and evolving, so are the solutions that are rising to address it. At NetAccess, we offer enterprise backup software, ransomware detection, and cloud continuity in a powerful, all-in-one platform to protect our clients. To learn more about our ransomware solutions and protect your business today, please contact our sales team at 905-524-2001 or  info@netaccess.ca.