When it comes to protecting your business from cybercrime including ransomware, two famous sayings come to mind:
- Prevention is better than cure
- Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.
Organisations must plan ahead for preventing ransomware attacks, and put contingency plans and backups in place should a data breach occur.
Even if you already have the necessary precautions in place, this year it’s time to make them even more robust. With the introduction of GDPR in May 2018, organisations will become totally responsible for any cyber-attacks or data leaks which occur. The new rules mean that companies need to prove they are protecting their sensitive data, and could face fines if a breach could have been prevented.
You already know the serious consequences of a cyber-attack and it happens to businesses of all sizes – so start taking the following steps to stop hackers in their tracks.
Understand how it works
In order to stop any ransomware attacks from penetrating your business files, it’s important to understand how criminals use the software. Most types of ransomware are actually caused by human error within the organisation – there are various ways hackers use to try and get users to infect themselves. Visiting a compromised website or opening malicious emails can cause the ransomware to take hold and encrypt files. Educate yourself – and your staff- about ransomware and warning signs to look out for. Training is your number one defence against cyber-attacks.
Centralised security
You shouldn’t be relying on an individual PC’s anti-virus software to stop these type of threats – they are too advanced. You need a centralised security measure which takes care of the security for the whole organisation, managed and updated by IT professionals.
Restrict access
Evaluate your data and administration restrictions on a regular basis. Do all employees really need access to these files? Putting restrictions in place can further protect sensitive documents, and makes sense from a data protection point of view.
Create back-ups
Once you’ve done all you can to prevent ransomware from wreaking havoc on your business, it’s time to prepare for the worst. Even with all of these security procedures in place, no organisation is 100% protected. Take steps to protect your data by creating robust back-ups in a number of different locations and on different media. When you have secure back-ups to fall back on, you don’t have to worry about the consequences of data loss from ransomware.
Want more advice about protecting your computer systems from cyber threats? Get in touch with our team of security experts.
