Today, technology is progressing by leaps and bounds. We can now resort to the favor of technology for getting any work done in a matter of seconds. Be it as simple as sending a message or as complex as engineering a product, anything you can think of – technology can help you realize it.
While technology is making our lives safer and better day by day, people are also misusing it to steal from vulnerable companies. Billions of dollars have been lost through ransomware. Therefore, it has become crucial for higher management to set policies for the avoidance of a ransomware attack.
The following are some of the points that must be acknowledged before implementing policies to avoid ransomware attacks as well as taking necessary steps for ransomware removal.
Create efficient SOPs
To handle any situation, it is crucial that there exists a standard operating procedure that all employees follow to diffuse the situation. This ensures the safe handling of the situation with minimal risk. No SOPs mean panic and employees taking individual decisions that can further escalate the sensitivity of the situation. Therefore, as the top management, it is essential that there are SOPs so that all employees can abide by in case of any mishap. Not just for ransomware removal, but for other situations that may arise as well.
Educate the employees of ransomware
Ransomware has dramatically gained popularity in recent years. Nearly all big companies have specialized IT teams at hand in case of a ransomware attack. If you’re just starting or don’t have an action plan in case of a ransomware attack just yet, your employees must understand what ransomware is and the danger it poses. So, they can react quickly in case of a ransomware attack to prevent the loss of valuable data as well as the propagation of the infection to other devices connected to the system.
Detecting fishy emails/links
It is of paramount importance that the employees understand how ransomware attacks occur. Usually, it originates through an email or a website link. As soon as you open it, a message demanding ransom on your screen appears. At this moment, all the files on your device have been encrypted are inaccessible to you. To prevent being in a situation like this, employees must be educated to filter out fishy emails and avoid visiting suspicious websites. Moreover, they must be guided to close any browser that is not in use.
Have an external storage
While hackers are kind enough to hand you the decryption key as soon as you pay the ransom. It is not a risk worth taking, especially if you hold valuable data since the files can be lost. So, it is better to be safe than sorry and has external storage where you can regularly store and maintain your data. This also helps avoid paying the ransom since you already have a copy of storage.
