HOW TO PREVENT RANSOMWARE ATTACKS : TOP THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND
Ransomware has posed a significant threat to organisations this past year and CISOs need to ensure they have all bases covered when it comes to security . Renee Tarun , Deputy CISO / Vice President Information Security , Fortinet , suggests nine factors to consider in order to have the best chance of avoiding a ransomware attack .
ansomware attacks
R have become a massive problem for almost every industry and every organisation size . In the US , federal officials have called it one of the biggest threats currently facing the nation . During the last year , criminals have attacked schools , shipping agencies , healthcare organisations , medical trials and more . Given the impact these attacks can have on organisations everywhere , security professionals need
Renee Tarun , Deputy CISO / Vice President Information Security , Fortinet to secure their systems , networks and software in new ways .
What is a ransomware attack ?
Ransomware is a specific type of malware that holds data hostage in exchange for a ransom . As an attack methodology , it has the potential to cause severe damage . Phishing emails are a common delivery method , but ransomware can also be spread through drive-by downloading , which is when a user visits a website that ’ s infected . Advanced attacks take seconds to compromise endpoints and ransomware attacks take seconds to damage your systems and infrastructure . That ’ s why it ’ s critical to ensure your organisation is prepared . As attacks grow in sophistication , the impact of ransomware goes beyond financial losses and the productivity loss associated with systems going down .
Attempted attacks and data breaches are inevitable and no organisation wants to be forced to decide between paying a ransom and losing important data . Fortunately , those aren ’ t the only two options . The best option is to keep from being forced into that decision in the first place . This approach requires a layered security model that includes network , endpoint , application and data centre controls powered by proactive global threat intelligence . With that in mind , here are nine things to consider to give your organisation the best chance of avoiding ransomware attacks .
1 . Email gateway security and sandboxing
Email is one of the most popular attack vectors for threat actors . A secure email gateway solution provides advanced multi-layered protection against the full spectrum of email-borne threats . Sandboxing provides an added layer of protection . Any email that passes the email filter and still contains unknown links , senders , or file types can be tested before it reaches your network or mail server .
2 . Web application security / firewall technology
A Web Application Firewall ( WAF ) helps protect web applications by filtering and monitoring HTTP traffic to and from a web service . It ’ s a key security element
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