April 28, 2023 | By Greg Dougherty
Cybercrimes are on the rise, and that’s a deeply concerning thought for technology leaders. Risk mitigation is at the forefront of every CTO’s mind in an effort to mitigate the cost of a breach (and that doesn’t even mention the time it would take to recover from an attack). Cyberattacks and ransomware are two common dangers tech leaders need to be aware of.
Ransomware is a type of malicious software that blocks access to a computer system or encrypts files until a ransom is paid. It’s often spread through phishing emails or infected websites.
Cyberattacks are attacks that use a computer network to disrupt, disable, or gain unauthorized access to a system.
Both forms of attacks can be carried out by individuals, groups, or nation-states. These attacks can result in data loss, financial damage, and even injury or loss of life. It’s something every business should consider when discussing their data safety and security.
Read More from Opti9: 10 Cloud Security Best Practices to Memorize
Strategies to Protect Your Enterprise from Cyberattack
Prevention is always the best medicine, but in this case, you can’t be too careful. Here are some tips on how to decrease your risk and protect your enterprise from an attack.
Cyber Insurance
Cybersecurity insurance protects organizations against financial losses yielded by cyber incidents, such as data breaches resulting in theft, system hacking, ransomware, etc.
Without cyber insurance, you will have difficulty finding good recovery specialists to help you, as many are employed by cyber insurance organizations. Staffing in the cyber industry is much like every other industry, short on help. With ransomware on the rise, the level of expertise on every project, or within every company, can not be guaranteed.
That being said, implementing Backup-as-a-Service (BaaS) and Disaster-Recovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS) can lower your cost, or eliminate the need for insurance altogether. Speak to your service provider on their recommendations to ensure you’re fully protected.
Quick Tips: 10 Key Elements of a Disaster Recovery Plan.
Designate Reserve Communication Channels
In the event of a cyberattack or data breach, it’s likely your primary communication channels will be affected as well. Ensure your company has reserve communication channels registered with your IT vendors so you can open a support case and start the recovery process.
Easy solutions to this are free email accounts from Gmail or another provider completely external to your own system and an independent cell phone line.
Regularly Test Your Backup Strategy
Don’t wait until you need it to find out it doesn’t work.
Make sure you have a solid backup strategy in place– and that you regularly test it to make sure it’s working. For example, if your files are encrypted by ransomware, you’ll need to be able to restore them from your backup.
Looking for more on this topic? Check out our full 2022 Guide to Risk Mitigation and Response.
Plan Backup Storage System Hardware
This is a consideration easily ignored until you’re already experiencing a cyber disaster. Law enforcement agencies will likely take your physical hardware as a part of the evidence when you file a report. It’s important to not only have a good backup in place, but also to have a place for your data to be recovered to.
Physical hardware isn’t cheap, and with current supply chain issues, it may be difficult to even get your hands on any. In most cases, Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) is the only viable option. Luckily, Opti9 allows you to restore directly to public cloud platforms such as Amazon Web Services (AWS). This enables you to get all required networking in place, so there are no surprises later.
Discuss and Test Plans with Your Team
Communication is critical. Encourage your team to report anything suspicious, especially if they’ve accidentally engaged with a threat. People are the most likely origin of an attack, so their level of awareness can either be your greatest asset or greatest liability. Communicate and test your response plans, and make sure everyone is clear on their roles.
Train Your Employees: One of the best ways to protect your company from a cyberattack is to properly train your employees. They need to be aware of the different types of attacks, how to spot them, and what to do if they encounter one. You should also have a contingency plan in place if an attack happens. This plan should include instructions for employees on how to respond and who to contact.
Create a Security Policy: It’s also important to have a security policy in place that outlines the rules and regulations for employee behavior online. This will help to ensure that employees are following best practices and are less likely to fall for a phishing attack.
Stay Up to Date with Security Updates: Make sure you’re always up to date with the latest security updates. Many of these updates are designed to fix vulnerabilities that hackers could exploit. If you don’t update your software, you’re leaving yourself open to attack.
This is also an excellent time to evaluate risk exposure and minimize your attack surface. Evaluate how many employees have access to your secure data and whether the level of access is warranted. Encourage password changes to ensure security. Take the necessary precautions to keep yourself as protected as possible.
Protect Your Data with Opti9 Cloud Solutions
Your data is your lifeline. Don’t leave its security to chance.
We don’t just protect your data with multiple options for cloud storage and recovery. We use the best technology to collaboratively build a unique customized solution. Contact us here to schedule a demo and further protect your data from cyber threats.