What can Data Backup Do to Prevent Ransomware Attacks?

The adverse effects of ransomware on data privacy are detrimental and boundless. Thus, it becomes crucial to have a sturdy backup system and retention policies following it.

Fremont, CA: Ransomware is the fastest growing threat to data security. Ransomware affected more than half of the organizations in 2019, wherein in 75 percent of the cases, data encryption was found. Companies retrieved their data through backups and paying off ransoms which were again quite challenging. The solution to evade these kinds of situations is to have an efficient and deep-rooted backup. The concerned person needs to ensure comprehensive backups are made on a regular basis and their policies are reviewed and verified. Irrespective of the target, ransomware has three principal parts: malware delivery, victim's data encryption, and communication with the attacker. About a third of ransomware attacks are materialized when users download malicious files. However, ransomware can also find its way to your system through servers, emails, and cloud resources.

Clean and Robust Backup: Organizations must ensure a backup thoroughly free of malware. Rigid air-gap policies such as effective malware detection tools, system patching, and taking media offline are also important. Organizations may consider using write once read many devices like optical disks, tapes, and other cloud storage alternatives. Moreover, tools like Windows 10 controlled folder access and restricting user access to confidential data can improve data access control and stop ransomware development.

Backup Retention Policies: Organizations are supposed to back up their data regularly. CIOs must check how frequently data is backed up to off-site locations. The IT personnel ought to review the duration of the backups and their air-gapped media. Ransomware may evade regular detections to hit cleaner systems. Companies possibly will find it difficult to find clean backup copies in need of more retention and review. Hence, having distinct backups for different businesses should simplify the recovery process.

Air Gap Data: Emerging companies can use cloud storage to retain long-term data backups and replace tangible backup mediums like hard drives and tapes. It encompasses multiple benefits ranging from power failures to physical and catastrophic disruptions. However, cloud storage fails miserably owing to its shared connections among users. The key to air gap data is to replace cloud backups with a physical backup medium such as tapes that can be kept obscure and offline.

See Also :- Top Cyber Security Solution Companies