Do you have the right Credentials to evade Ransomware attacks?

Ransomware is a particularly nasty type of malware that’s used to hijack your important business data and – like the name says – demand a ransom in exchange for its release.

Attacks of this type have been rising in South Africa, with big names like Transnet and most major banks having been hit by wily hackers. Protecting your business from this type of crime is a major priority in 2021 and beyond.

The cost both to your company’s finances and its reputation in the wake of a ransomware attack can be huge, and like all unpleasant things it’s always better to prevent it in the first place.

Having an excellent antivirus software, firewall and other data security measures in place as well as opting for secure cloud storage are all excellent ways to defend your business from ransomware. But here’s the thing: all of these great measures could still fail if you neglect a small but essential aspect of data security: secure user credentials.

make sure the authorised user is really you

One of the easiest ways for hackers and ransomware creators to access your data in the first place is by breaching the first line of defence. Yes, that’s your trusty old password.

• AI-driven password cracking software is now capable of decoding an eight-letter password in a number of hours and a twelve-letter password in just a few days.
• As the software advances, these processing times are likely to drop further, and that means one thing. The days of using a password as your only means of data protection are long over.

A password is a piece of information that you know – and that means that someone else can know it too just by stealing it. A better approach to data security is to use information like biometric data that’s a physical part of you.

New credential verification systems like those used by Microsoft and eBay are helping users around the world to go “passwordless”, separating identities and passwords once and for all.

keep your data safe with a cloud-based storage solution

If the headaches that come with securing your data on-site don’t seem worth it, it’s because they aren’t. Leave the security to us and opt for cloud storage for your enterprise. Contact us today to find out how.