Running a business comes with a considerable number of challenges. Not only do you need to have a sustainable business model when establishing key infrastructure that allows you to scale, but you also need to know how to adequately protect it.
Cyberattacks are now increasing at an exponential rate, with data breaches costing organizations on average over $4.88 million a year. 35% of all of these breaches were caused by one form of attack – ransomware.
Ransomware is not only a difficult form of malware to combat, but after a successful attack, it can be incredibly costly and time-consuming for businesses to bounce back. Without the tactics in place, simply clicking one link or downloading a file could bring your organization to a crippling halt.
Thankfully, there are proven strategies you can follow that can help you to strengthen your organization’s security measures and reduce the likelihood of succumbing to this form of attack.
Reduce Exposure at the User Level
When you consider the number of ways most hybrid and remote working employees access company resources, it’s not hard to see how easy it can be for security to become an issue. Personal devices like laptops, smartphones, or tablets connected to company networks are all potential endpoints that cybercriminals can exploit to gain access to critical business systems or databases.
To address this effectively, businesses should take a more proactive approach to asset management and control. This means first identifying all the different ways employees access your networks and putting in place various security policies associated with their use.
Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) systems are a valuable investment when it comes to this type of initiative. EDR solutions help businesses track multiple internal and external devices connecting to the network, while allowing them to set strict access controls associated with specific users and their roles within the organization.
Keep Internal Teams Educated on Best Password Practices
While it may not be the first thing you think of when looking through advanced cybersecurity tactics, simply following best password practices when creating login credentials can significantly lower your risk profile.
It’s important to train employees on how to avoid weak password habits that can leave themselves (and the business) open to exploitation. This isn’t always easy, considering that most people prefer using easy-to-remember passwords across all their applications and services.
As part of your cybersecurity training initiatives, establish clear policies for employees that outline how to create more secure passwords. Your best practices should include making passwords 12 characters or more and using a combination of numbers, special characters (where allowed), and lower and capitalized letters.
Prepare Data Backups In Advance
Even with a variety of security systems in place, it’s important to create a safety plan for your business in the event of a worst-case scenario. Regularly backing up your databases and critical systems is an effective way of achieving this.
When you have a consistent routine for creating system backups, it gives you more options in case a ransomware attack on your business is successful. If you become locked out of your system, backups give you the ability to systematically recover your systems rather than needing to rebuild them from scratch.
Even though disaster recovery efforts can take a decent amount of time to execute, they are a much more reliable solution for resuming operations.
Build Secure Zones in Your Networks
One of the elements that makes ransomware so dangerous is its ability to quickly move laterally across infected systems. An effective way to reduce this ability is to divide your business network into several isolated zones.
By segmenting your network, you create a barrier between infected areas of your network and other critical parts of your business. This helps to contain a breach and gives your incident response teams more time to respond.
In addition to network segmentation, it’s also important to implement strict user access controls. You should only allow a select group of users to sensitive parts of your networks and only for limited time periods. By applying least privilege principles, it keeps your attack surface smaller and reduces the potential for unauthorized access.
Use Penetration Testing Services
While you may have made significant investments in your security initiatives in the past, it’s important to remember that they may not prove to be effective long-term. Since cyber threats are always evolving over time, it only makes sense that you continue to evaluate and improve your security approaches along with them.
However, it’s not always easy to know where to start when testing the effectiveness of your security solutions. And the last thing you want to do is wait until an attack is taking place before you realize there are gaps in your security layers. Penetration testing can be an invaluable investment for helping you to quickly identify these gaps “before” they create significant problems.
Pentesters launch simulated attacks against your business infrastructure to test for weaknesses and locate potential entry points into your critical systems. The information they collect can then be used to help you prioritize your risk mitigation efforts while also ensuring you continue to meet your data security and compliance requirements.
Follow Compliance Standards Closely
A successful ransomware attack doesn’t just slow down your operations – it can also lead to significant compliance breaches as customer data becomes exposed. This can lead to serious legal issues and irreparable damage to your brand reputation.
It’s important to closely follow any compliance standards relevant to your industry and follow them meticulously. This not only includes implementing important security measures like data encryption and access controls, but also maintaining thorough documentation, conducting regular audits, and staying up-to-date with ethical AI usage standards.
Establish a More Resilient Business
Protecting your business from ransomware attacks requires a diligent, proactive approach to cybersecurity. By following the guidelines discussed, you’ll successfully reduce your attack surface and minimize the damage a successful attack can cause your organization.
About the Author
Nazy Fouladirad is President and COO of Tevora, a global leading cybersecurity consultancy. She has dedicated her career to creating a more secure business and online environment for organizations across the country and world. She is passionate about serving her community and acts as a board member for a local nonprofit organization.
