Play Hardball to Make Ransomware Whiff

Ransomware attacks hit hard in 2016, and SMBs, particularly those maintaining electronic health records, were crooks' trendiest target. Often taking the form of an email or web link, ransomware simply needs an unwary employee to click, unleashing malicious code to take over systems, encrypt data, and demand you pay up or lose everything.

Fortunately, there are game-changing practices to help deal with ransomware threats, summarized from the Health IT experts at Applied Clinical Informatics.

Start with a secure set-up. Thoughtfully configured and well-maintained resources help enterprises put up a strong defense. First, block unauthorized access with a major-league firewall, and make sure to back-up daily and update software patches, according to internal policies.

Train employees regularly. Ransomware preys on careless or poorly trained employees. Equip your workforce to spot social engineering scams through regular education. Mandate the two-step approach to email; have IT give internal emails a visible identifier, then train people to scan for this safety indicator and apply established security practices with unfamiliar senders. Keep this sharp security edge through regular simulated phishing attacks.

Practice data recovery before you need it. Ongoing practice-runs help IT staff identify and remedy procedural hiccups before recovery becomes mission critical. When your revenue (and reputation) are on the line, as they are during an outage, IT's familiarity with system restoration will help get essential systems and data back online faster.

Want to learn more about making ransomware strike-out? Check out our ITinflections blog. Or call TeamLogic IT today.

#cybersecurity #malware #ransomware