Top 5 BEST Practices to Avoid Ransomware

According to a survey by Sophos, 66% of healthcare organizations reported experiencing a ransomware attack in 2021. This was a 34% increase from 2020. Despite these numbers, only 50% of small US businesses have a cybersecurity plan. That leaves many companies open to large financial losses.

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So what is the biggest risk when it comes to cybersecurity? It actually comes down to people like you and me. I know, I know… I left you on a cliffhanger. I bet you’re wondering, “How could I be a risk to my company?”

Well, 82% of data breaches involve a human element. This is according to Verizon’s 2022 Data Breach Investigation Report.

Even if you are employee of the month, you’re still human… and humans make mistakes. So this means that the first line of defense from cybersecurity attacks starts with you!

So let’s go over what ransomware is. Ransomware is a form of malware that targets home users, businesses and government networks. This type of cyberattack denies users access to files on their computers. Hackers then keep these files until the victim pays a set ransom for their return.

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “prevention is the best medicine”, and this is also true for cybersecurity.

You can prevent your system from being hacked by understanding the different types of ransomware and how hackers entrap their victims.

First, we have phishing… and no I’m not talking about bluegill and bass. Phishing is the practice of sending emails while impersonating a company to convince someone to reveal their personal information.

Last year 83% of businesses said they experienced a successful phishing attack, according to a Proofpoint report.

Next, exploiting poor access management is another common practice that allows hackers to access information. Poor access management can include not keeping your accounts up to date, weak passwords, and neglecting to change your passwords on a regular basis.
But even with good access management practice, software will inherently hold risk in that it is always evolving.

This is why cybersecurity teams must always address vulnerabilities promptly. Neglecting to address unpatched software allows another easy route for hackers to get your information.
An unpatched vulnerability is any weakness in a system that allows hackers to use a known security bug to run malicious code.

The next technique is called a “Drive-by'' malicious package download. These downloads happen after a user unknowingly visits an infected website. Hackers will either embed malicious code in the website or redirect the victim to another site that they control.

This allows them to silently scan the visiting device for its specific weaknesses and execute malicious code without the user even clicking anything. Finally, ransomware found in USB and/or removable media is the last technique I’m going to talk about today.

There have been many instances where hacker groups mailed out USB drives in hopes that recipients would plug them into their PC and install ransomware themselves. For example, there have been reports of hackers impersonating the US Department of Health and Human Services. This cybercrime group would gather data by claiming the USB sent was a COVID-19 warning.

#ransomware #ransomwareprotection