Safeguarding Your Data from Ransomware In the Cloud

30 May

2016 seemed to be the year of ransomware and you would think that by now businesses would have it under control and be able to safeguard themselves, but that just doesn’t seem to be the case.

It may come as a surprise, but ransomware is not really new, it’s probably just never been this bad. It’s believed to have been around for more than 10 years already! Back in 2014, 3.2 million cases of ransomware were reported. These numbers are particularly surprising, as we know that many people don’t report cyber-crime, so the figures are probably considerably worse!

What’s ransomware?

Similar to the kidnapping and ransom request of humans, ransomware is a nasty little way for hackers to steal your data and then force you to pay them to return it.

It’s usually activated by means of phishing. You receive an enticing email, click on it or open an attachment and your system is contaminated with software that’s used to encrypt all the data on the computer. When you try to access your files, the computer will present a notice demanding payment in bitcoins in order to gain access to your data. It’s frustrating and there’s little to be done to reverse it once it’s happened, unless you pay the ransom (but then there’s also no guarantee that you will get anything back either).

There’s no magic cure to avoiding a ransomware attack, but one can ensure that everything is done to limit the consequences of such an occurrence.

Protect your data

In choosing to back up your data and systems your business can’t be held to ransom if your network is breached. However, your back up strategy needs to extend beyond simply keeping a copy of your data on your computer. The best solution is to rely on the cloud for storing your data.

Why is cloud storage the answer?

Cloud systems are equipped to detect, deter and destroy ransomware attacks before the criminals are able to enter the network and gain control of data. With cloud computing, you have more visibility of the potential risks and threats faced.

Cloud back up is a fail proof way of ensuring that you don’t have to pay ransoms and worry about losing data. If your system is hacked, you have a backup safe and secure in the cloud and better yet, it’s all encrypted in cloud so pesky hackers can’t do anything with it, even if they tried.

Simply signing up for cloud storage is not enough to protect your data from ransomware. Your IT team will need to do a bit more to ensure security and take full advantage of the security features offered by the cloud. Here’s a taste of what that “bit” more includes:

  • Ensure that all advanced cloud security features are understood, activated and working correctly at all times
  • Take advantage of cloud services’ disaster recovery capabilities
  • Educate all of your network users on the risks and threats and how to conduct themselves in a responsible and secure manner when making use of systems and networks.

It’s not really a case of IF ransomware will affect your business. It’s more a case of when. Make sure that you’re safeguarded against its potentially devastating effects by backing up to the cloud. Find out more about cloud backup features today. Get in touch with us at Soteria Cloud.

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