Computerware Blog

We have no problem going on the record as saying that there are more than enough strains of malware to go around. As such, it’s important that you know what to do if your workstation is struck by an infection.

Ransomware is a dangerous online entity that continues to cause problems for businesses of all sizes. Thanks to its ability to encrypt workstations and even entire networks, ransomware has made its way to the top of the threat food chain, and it’s your responsibility to protect your business from it. Since infections are (more or less) impossible to remove, your best option is to prevent infections from happening in the first place.

Here are five of the best practices you need to keep in mind to protect your business from ransomware.

Have a Data Backup and Disaster Recovery Solution
If your business is struck with ransomware, the only reliable way to resolve the problem is to restore a data backup. The reasoning is simple; while you could pay for the decryption key, you would only be further funding their ransomware campaigns, and there’s no guarantee that the decryption key will work in the first place. You’re better off not taking the risk and just restoring a backup… assuming you have one.

Set a Routine for Scheduled Backups
You’ll want your backup and disaster recovery solution to be able to restore your data as close as possible to the point of incident. Computerware has a BDR solution available that can create backups of your data as often as every fifteen minutes. This is crucial if you want to ensure that your data recovery process is sound.

Educate Your Employees About Phishing Scams
Keeping your team in-the-know of how to avoid phishing scams and identify threats is a good step to take for any and all security risks. Teach them not to download unsolicited attachments or click on suspicious links. It also helps to remind them to look for signs of phony email domains, spelling errors, and other irregularities.

Regularly Update Your Software Solutions
The latest patches and security updates can go a long way toward keeping your organization from experiencing hacking attacks. As such, ransomware works the same way. Keep comprehensive security solutions on-hand that can keep phishing attacks from hitting your email inbox in the first place.

Keep Corporate Data Separate From Personal Data
If you have corporate data that’s stored on your in-house workstations, you’ll want to keep it separate from data that’s stored on employee mobile devices. If you use laptops or smartphones to work remotely, this can be challenging. You should stress that employees keep these two types of information as separate as possible. One way to do this is by storing corporate data in a cloud environment, so that employees don’t have to store it on their mobile devices at all.

The best way to guarantee your business’s assets aren’t being put at risk is to keep ransomware from happening in the first place. Take the time to reinforce your infrastructure and educate your team, and you might be surprised by the results. To learn more about how to do this, reach out to us at (703) 821-8200.

Last September, the Internet was introduced to CryptoLocker, a dangerous ransomware that has quickly spread and become one of the worst viruses we have seen. CryptoLocker will literally take your files hostage by encrypting them so it can force you to pay for the encryption key. A business hit with CryptoLocker will be locked out of their computers and unable to get work done.

The latest nasty virus to hit the Internet is called Trojan:Win32/Crilock.A, a ransomware that first showed its ugly head on September 10th, 2013. This virus is capable of locking you out of your computer and stealing your sensitive information. Here's everything you need to know about this new ransomware and how to stop it.

You would think that governments would be the one organization in the world that would be immune to computer viruses because they have sensitive information on every citizen as well as military secrets. Yet a new type of malware called Red October that targets governments was recently discovered after slipping by the tightest security systems in the world.

There are several practices that you can do in order to keep your PC safe from computer viruses. Not visiting shady websites and keeping your antivirus program up-to-date are proven best practices; although, sometimes these practices are not enough. Sometimes hackers will find vulnerabilities in a trusted application and take advantage of them, this happened recently to Java.