There are many reasons that businesses and their IT teams may weigh up the option to backup and protect data with an inhouse solutions versus outsourcing data backup.
Continue readingMost companies and individuals will experience a malware attack at some point in time. One of the worst kinds of malware that you can be infected with is Ransomware.
Ransomware attacks are increasing rapidly. Moreover, cybercriminals are even offering “ransomware-as-a-service” (RaaS), creating little ransomware cartels. The offering is the code for 20% of the ransomware earnings.
Ransomware is a malicious software virus that infects your computer, your network and your data. Your computer will either be locked or your data encrypted, held hostage, and the only way you can regain access is by paying a “ransom”.
There are 4 most common ways that ransomware can gain access to your computer:
There are two main types of ransomware: Locker Ransomware and Crypto Ransomware. Locker ransomware typically locks access to the computer interface, only allowing the user to interact with the ransom demand. It generally doesn’t attack the underlying system or data, only denies access to it.
Crypto ransomware is the more malicious one of the two and is designed to encrypt all valuable data stored on the computer or network. It moves fast, it stays undetected until ransom demands are made and it is a bigger threat to data security.
Once your data has been encrypted, there is very little that can be done unless you are willing to pay the ransom, and even if you pay there is no guarantee that you will get your data back.
If you think that investing only in anti-virus software will keep your data safe from a ransomware attack, you are sorely mistaken. A multi-faceted IT security policy, which includes a disaster recovery plan, will definitely contribute to the safety of your data.
The FBI’s tips for a business continuity that helps combat the effects of ransomware is to make regular backups of data, verify the integrity of backups frequently and mirror backups to a secure server.
A reliable backup software provider will be the difference between the life and death of your valuable data. It’s never too late to start backing up, but we recommend you do it before receiving a data ransom note.
There are many reasons that businesses and their IT teams may weigh up the option to backup and protect data with an inhouse solutions versus outsourcing data backup.
Continue readingCyber-criminals are increasingly viewing education institutions as easy prey. No surprise then that the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) recently warned of a spike in the targeting of schools, universities and colleges.
Continue readingThe majority of Google services went down yesterday, leading to widespread disruption all around the world. Users were left waiting for almost an hour before hearing they could regain access.
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