Ransomware, we all know it, and we sure know it’s the last thing we want on our systems. Whereas malware just causes havoc to be a nuisance, ransomware takes it one step further and teases you with the idea of restoring your systems back to normal, at the cost of a hefty sum of money. But while the quick and easy thing seems to be just pay it and accept the loss, that is actually the last thing you should be doing.
Why backing up works
Your best bet is to ensure you have a disaster recovery plan in place including secure backups that won’t fall into the hands of the attackers. You want to have these stored remotely with a third-party provider, such as us. On top of that, you’ll want to make sure it is the appropriate type of backup so that it’s extra secure. This is your lifeline in the event of a cyberattack. It won’t stop you from being a victim of ransomware, but it will help you recover quickly if an attack does infect your system. Furthermore, you’ll be able to avoid paying the ransom, which has no guarantee of even decrypting your systems.
Immutable backups
Immutable backups would be your first port of call, these are designed so that once the backup is created, it remains the exact same as it was when it was backed up. You cannot alter, delete or overwrite the data once it has been created. You can, however, restore your systems with them quickly, meaning you can recover with little hassle. These backups minimise the risk of data loss and corruption while also meeting regulatory requirements that you’d come to expect from insurance companies.
Snapshot backups
Snapshots are another type of backup that would be beneficial to have in this type of attack, Ransomware can sometimes lay dormant for weeks or months before it decides to encrypt your system. Having this type of backup, which is a quick, point-in-time copy of data, helps with recovering your system back to how it was before an attack occurred. These types of backups are also typically very fast; rather than creating a complete copy, metadata of the original location of data is stored instead.
Avoid paying a ransom
Paying the ransom should always be discouraged, as it can only give the attackers more motivation to continue to infect others in the hopes that they can earn more. They don’t even need to offer the decryption once paid either, so the risk is not worth it whatsoever. Trying to pick up the pieces after would also be a nightmare; having to start from scratch could cause your business to struggle.
Having to source a backup at a time where you’ve no doubt lost out on profit as a result of company downtime can also prove to be stressful. Cyber insurance can even become more expensive, as they will see you as being at risk of being attacked again. This is why you should waste no time in getting your systems with us at Backup Systems. Get in contact before it’s too late! Email us at info@backupsystems.co.uk or call us at 0845 671 0290.
But don’t just take our word for it. Backup Systems works with a number of clients, all of whom have nothing but positive things to say about the level of service we provide them with. Take a read of what they think on our reviews page here: https://www.reviews.co.uk/company-reviews/store/back-up-systems-ltd.
