Ransomware Protection

Ransomware protection definition

Ransomware protection is the process of preventing the occurrence of a ransomware event, and/or mitigating the risk of a successful attack. Cyberthreats that take the form of ransomware have intensified to exploit security gaps introduced by a remote workforce, work-from-home (WFH) and distance learning. Ransomware threats and cybercrime form a multibillion-dollar organized crime business. Enterprises must treat this most severe threat as a top priority before it is too late.

Ransomware protection gives the potential victims of these dangerous ransomware threats the tools they need to fend off cyber threats aimed at hijacking their servers and data. Be proactive and deploy ransomware protection and ransomware readiness strategies to avoid costly, business crippling and damaging events.

What is ransomware protection?

As the name implies, ransomware threats arise from any software (malware) that enable cybercriminals to encrypt all, or part of, an organization’s valuable data – and then hold that data for ransom. Bad actors usually demand a ransom in exchange for relinquishing their control. During the standoff, authorized users are denied access to the encrypted data.  The victim usually faces two bad choices; pay a ransom within a defined timeline to free their data, or lose it  and be forced to move on from scratch. Another danger that accompanies ransomware threats is the possibility of public exposure of the victim’s private data. Such an outcome could cause profoundly severe problems with real consequences to businesses.

Ransomware protection describes the safeguards that companies put in place to avoid the nightmarish situations described earlier. The best medicine for dealing with the increasing threats of a ransomware attack is dedicated data protection for ransomware readiness. A SaaS-delivered backup solution, or backup as a service (BaaS) can be an important part of a company’s ransomware protection strategy, by providing customers with isolated, immutable  air-gapped copies of their data that are out of bad actors’ reach. In addition, a cloud-based approach to ransomware protection provides a virtual airgap as data backup services do not require physical network connections. This ensures backup and restore operations are separate and not susceptible to ransomware attacks that successfully penetrate customer environments.

What is ransomware protection and how does it work?

Sometimes, the most effective solutions are the simplest ones. While complex on the inside, ransomware protection is a simple approach to a complex problem that involves cybersecurity, cloud backup, and disaster recovery. As noted earlier, the right path to preventing ransomware attacks is to place the data out of reach of cybercriminals. Cloud-based data protection solutions provide a virtual airgap of both backups and restore operations. Backups data copies are stored in isolated, immutable locations – preventing data from being tampered, altered, or deleted. Cloud-based data protection solutions also do not require the presence of physical networks or appliances, ensuring their restore services are separate and not impacted by ransomware that penetrates customer environments. Cloud providers also offer comprehensive access control protection, encryption of data in transit and at rest, and continuously update cyberattacks detection and prevention. The foundation of a ransomware protection strategy includes:

• Creating a plan: an effective plan  includes both safeguards against attack as well as a blueprint for a reliable and speedy resumption of normal operations.
• Prevent attacks: proactive steps include security, access controls and user authentication to protect data from attack.
• Monitor your environment: routine monitoring of anomalies for early detection of attack-reducing its impact.
• Restore your data: implement reliable and rapid data restore capabilities to quickly resume normal business operations. 
• Test your plan: frequently test to verify adherence to pre-defined SLAs for high-priority data and applications.
• Proactive education:Ransomware threats use phishing and social engineering to penetrate the intended targets. Enterprises need to provide all employees with regular education on nature, dangers and how to fight ransomware

Why is ransomware protection important?

The number of ransomware threats is on the rise, supported by a new work-from-home norm as well as distance learning vulnerabilities. In 2019, nearly 60% of enterprises experienced a ransom attack.  In the third quarter of 2020, data showed ransomware attacks rose 40% in that quarter alone.  Without proper ransomware readiness, companies are more likely than not to fall victim to attacks – experiencing data loss, security threats, and expensive business downtime in an era when users and businesses require their data accessible and available around the clock. In short, data protection offers organizations a shield against inevitable attacks and gives them a lifeline to safety faster after unwanted disruptions.

Benefits of ransomware protection

Digital data and applications are the drivers of business growth. Protecting business-critical workloads against ransomware is vital for business survival and serves as a safety net against data loss or theft.

Business continuity. The average IT disruptions are one thing but wholesale data loss is another ball game. Ransomware protection removes the prospect of an extended business shutdown, reduces the potential for attack success and narrows the window for recovery for businesses.

Risk mitigation. Ransomware protection is a vital part of an overall security posture that every organization needs. Robust access management, anomaly detection, data encryption, hardened security and comprehensive user access controls are necessary for a successful defense against cybercriminals.

Lower costs. The cost of data protection pales compared to the costs an effective ransomware attack. Costly downtime and lofty payouts threaten to not only halt business operations but can result in permanent  customer data loss. Businesses should err on the side of proactive safety and leverage ransomware protection as a means to secure their valuable data.

Common use cases for ransomware protection

Organizations of all sizes need protection against ransomware threats. Proper data protection allows customers to deploy solutions in everyday use cases:

• Business continuity. With ransomware software, businesses can protect all of their data and configurations needed to bring business back to life following unpredictable disruptions
• Data protection. Without proper ransomware readiness, your data remains susceptible to potential loss and corruption. Ransomware protection preserves the integrity of your data and provides usable copies of lost data – to ensure you are always recoverable from attack.
• Disaster recovery. It is accepted that all businesses and IT environments could face disruptive ransomware events that could cause data loss, corruption, or disrupts IT operations. Putting a robust ransomware protection strategy in place reduces the risks associated with unplanned disruptions and ill-intended ransomware attacks

Does Metallic offer ransomware protection?

Yes! Metallic Backup as a Service (Baas) leverages a hardened, multi-layered approach to ransomware readiness, providing robust controls to both prevent threats and ensure data is highly available and recoverable from cyberattack. With immutable, air-gapped data copies, advanced anomaly detection, and built-in encryption, Metallic comprehensively safeguards critical data across apps, endpoints, on-prem, and cloud environments. Built on Microsoft Azure, Metallic offers industry-leading durability, security, scalability, and performance, capable of protecting business data from today and tomorrow’s emerging cyberthreats.