7 Top Ways to Defend Against Ransomware Attacks

Ransomware encrypts a company’s data and demands payment for the decryption key. It’s one of the most damaging attacks a business can face. Here are seven ways to defend against it.

1. Backup and disaster recovery

Good backups are the strongest defense. Back up critical data regularly, keep at least one copy offline or immutable so attackers can’t encrypt it too, and test restores so you know the plan works when you need it.

2. Endpoint protection

Endpoint protection catches malware before it runs. Use security software with anti-malware and firewall features on every laptop and server. Keep it updated, because detections only work against threats the software knows about.

3. Email security

Email is still one of the main ways ransomware gets in. Filter for spam, malicious attachments and phishing links before messages reach inboxes.

4. Network segmentation

Network segmentation splits a network into smaller, isolated zones. If an attacker gets into one, it’s harder to spread to the rest, and the damage stays contained.

5. User awareness and education

People are often the weakest link. Train employees to recognize phishing emails and other social engineering tricks, and make it easy for them to report something suspicious.

6. Continuous monitoring and incident response

Watch the network continuously for suspicious activity, and have an incident response plan ready before you need it. Fast detection and a rehearsed response limit the damage and speed up recovery.

7. Application Whitelisting

Application whitelisting, also called allowlisting, lets only approved programs run and blocks everything else. Ransomware that isn’t on the list can’t execute. It works best alongside endpoint protection and segmentation. Keep the approved list current, or people will find ways around it.

No single control stops ransomware. Combine backups, endpoint protection, email filtering, segmentation, training, monitoring and allowlisting, and an attack becomes much less likely to succeed. If one does get through, you’ll recover faster.

Dan Evert, CCNP

Dan Evert is a self proclaimed Router Jockey. Dan got heavily involved in networking right out of high school and has never looked back! Dan is giving back by working with high school students to get them involved and interested in Networking and Security.