Chester IT says - No Deal for Ransomware Hackers!

A law office hit by CryptoLocker avoided paying ransom for its data by restoring sensitive client records from a cloud backup.

Cybercrime is relentless and devastating, costing U.S. businesses in excess of $100 billion each year. An increasingly common tactic employed by cybercriminals is to steal and encrypt business data, then demand ransom for the decryption key. Called ransomware, this type of hacking is particularly insidious, demanding that victims pay for something they already own.

IT Security researchers saw more than 4 million samples of ransomware in the second quarter of 2015, including 1.2 million that were new, and expects those instances to continue growing in 2016. That compares to fewer than 1.5 million total samples in the third quarter 2013, when fewer than 400,000 were new. One business affected by this disturbing trend was a law office, where an unsuspecting employee fell for a phishing scheme that resulted in the encryption of nearly 1 TB of data, including client records, case documents and other important records.

Thankfully, the law office had invested in reliable cloud-based data protection, which made it possible to get a full data restore overnight and avoid paying the ransom. Within a day, the virus had been wiped off the network, business applications were running, and client records were accessible again.

Data protection is a must, especially for businesses subjected to stringent regulations covering sensitive data. With cybercriminals constantly finding new ways to break into networks and steal data, it’s essential to have a recovery plan when they succeed. When a cybercriminal attacks, be ready to fight back.

Chester IT's fully managed, cloud-based data protection services have a strong track record of helping businesses recover from cyber attacks. Remember, data loss has forced countless businesses to close their doors, and you don’t want to be in that position, especially when sensitive data is involved. Our military-grade services, supported by dual-coast SSAE-16 compliant data centers, offer change-block tracking technology for faster backups and restores - making it easier and faster to get your business back up and running.

Start protecting your business by contacting Chester IT today!
(219) 464-9999 / www.chesterinc.com/it