The worst-case scenario happened, and your business suffered a ransomware attack. Your files are encrypted and inaccessible, and your company is starting to feel the negative effects. What should you do now? Quick ransomware recovery is mission-critical after an attack, though it’s a costly endeavor.
In 2021, the estimated cost of ransomware recovery was $1.85 million. Nearly half of American small businesses suffered from cybersecurity attacks in the last 12 months, and ransomware continues to be one of the most common.
What Is Ransomware?
Before we discuss how to recover from a ransomware attack, let’s talk about what is ransomware. The U.S. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) defines ransomware as “an ever-evolving form of malware designed to encrypt files on a device, rendering any files and the systems that rely on them unusable.”
Ransomware is a subset of malware and usually results in monetary demand from the criminal. The attacker desires payment to be exchanged before the files are unlocked or decrypted. What makes ransomware so dangerous is how easy it claims victims. Ransomware can be spread through malicious attachments in emails, software apps, external storage devices, and more. Unfortunately, employees can often accidentally open ransomware, infecting many devices across the organization.
And ransomware is growing more prevalent. In 2021, 37% of businesses reported ransomware attacks. If your business does suffer an attack, it’s essential to follow the below tips to get back up and running quickly.
Four Ransomware Recovery Tips
1. Be Prepared
The best way to recover from a ransomware attack is never to let it occur in the first place. These days, it’s not a question of if but when your organization will experience a cyberattack. Basic cybersecurity preparations are key in protecting your organization up front, with employee security awareness training and security protocols creating safeguards against malicious actors.
2. Disconnect Devices
Once you’ve discovered you’re the victim of a ransomware attack, quickly disconnect all devices from the network, and isolate the infected machine to stop the ransomware from spreading. Immediate disconnection can limit widespread ransomware contagion. Whether wired, wireless, or mobile, all devices should be disconnected as quickly as possible. By making quick decisions early on in the attack can make ransomware recovery easier.
3. Regularly Backup Data
With regularly backed-up data, built-in advanced security protection provides proactive identification and alerts if potential ransomware is detected. Studies show that 60% of data backups are incomplete, and 50% of restores are unsuccessful. With TPx’s Managed Back-ups, you can rollback your data to a specific point in time allowing you to quickly recover critical data and get systems back online, all without paying the ransom demand.
4. Pay for Cyber Insurance
Everyone hates paying for insurance until the day they need it. According to Coveware, 81% of ransomware attacks involve data theft, which is typically covered by cyber insurance. This includes covering notification costs, information security and privacy liability, and similar risks associated with potential exposure of sensitive data.
How To Protect Against Ransomware Attacks
According to Stanford Research, 88% of data breaches are caused by human error, so providing employee security training is critical in strengthening your first line of defense. Enabling a security awareness training program for your business can help employees make better decisions and quickly spot ransomware and phishing scams. Once you have basic protections in place, managed security services are the next step in protecting your organization.
Take the guesswork and headache out of making sure your company is secure, and with an expert provider like TPx, gain access to secure solutions from endpoint security to firewalls and secure backups. TPx can help improve your security posture. Not sure how your security stacks up today? Calculate your risk with our free risk assessment tool.