Multi-Layered Ransomware Protection
Ransomware and ransomware attacks are currently a major threat for businesses of all kinds and sizes, including financial institutions, government agencies, healthcare providers, and others.
Cybersecurity Ventures predicts that by 2031, a ransomware attack will occur in a business every two seconds, with victims losing over $265 billion a year. Ransomware is the fastest-growing category of cybercrime. Attackers are always coming up with new, inventive ways to get past even the most attentive frontline security. While more complex approaches like social engineering that target internet of things (IoT) devices and infrastructure weaknesses are becoming more and more popular, more traditional tactics like phishing are still being used. IT teams must therefore understand that endpoint security is insufficient to achieve true ransomware resiliency.
Since ransomware attacks have increased dramatically in recent years, the malware has evolved to become more potent, faster, and stealthy while frequently escaping detection by antivirus programmes. The traditional isolated protection method, which often uses network traffic monitoring, behavioural-based detection, signature-based detection, and data backup for restores, is under threat from ever-evolving ransomware.
The first line of defence, the network, precisely identifies the ransomware and stops its horizontal spread. The second and final line of defence, storage, recognises the ransomware and stops data altering and encrypting. Air-gap recovery and backup recovery are used to guarantee service reinstatement. Furthermore, three capabilities are provided by the special network-storage collaboration: precise identification, thorough protection, quick recovery, and the development of an extremely safe security system.
Management of Multi-layered security to throw away Ransomware attacks
- Automated Software Upgrades to Eliminate Implementation Delay: Making sure the software in your company is always up-to-date is one of the most important precautions against ransomware attacks. Installing security updates as soon as they become available is essential since many ransomware attacks take advantage of well-known flaws in outdated software. By putting automated software upgrades into place, you may help to stop the implementation delay and shorten the time that attackers have to take advantage of these vulnerabilities.
- Block Unknown Files with Anti-Executable: Unknown or suspicious files are frequently used by ransomware to penetrate systems and encrypt data. Organizations can halt ransomware in its tracks by preventing these files from opening by implementing anti-executable software.
- Kiosk Mode to Minimize User Damage: One feature that can be used to restrict functionality is kiosk mode. It is typically widely used on public computers or multiuser devices that are used for specialised activities. By limiting the user’s ability to use specific features, this mode helps stop ransomware from being accidentally or purposefully downloaded. Kiosk mode can reduce the likelihood of user-initiated harm and limit user access, which can help defend against ransomware attacks.
- Powerful anti-virus: Any multi-layered ransomware security plan must include a strong antivirus programme. Antivirus software can assist in identifying and eliminating known ransomware variants, thereby averting a major attack that could cause harm, even though it is not a reliable defence against ransomware on its own.
- Implementation of the Reboot-to-Restore feature: One effective method for overcoming ransomware outbreaks is reboot-to-restore technology. With the use of this technology, an organization can swiftly recover from an assault without having to pay a ransom by returning a device to its pre-infected form. Organizations may reduce the damage to their operations and be ready to respond to an attack by incorporating reboot-to-restore technology into their ransomware prevention plan.
Building resilience against ransomware
Organizations must focus more on more traditional forms of “insurance” against disaster if they are to remain resilient in the face of the escalating hazard. In order to ensure that business continuity is maintained in the event of an attack, they must develop and adhere to ransomware response strategies that outline how to handle a cyberattack.
- E2E Data Encryption: Protocol-layer encryption (NFS, CIFS, and SMB).Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)-256 encryption of production and backup data.
- Air Gap Duplication: Data copies are automatically and sporadically duplicated from the production or backup storage to the isolation environment by configuring the replication Service Level Agreement (SLA). Because the replication link is only active during replication, attacks are less likely to occur because data copies are typically offline.
- System of Files (WORM) and Protected Snapshot Information: To stop data modification or deletion during this time frame, a protection period can be established for production or backup data. Secure snapshots guarantee that data in storage is read-only and that it cannot be changed or removed during a predetermined window of time.
- Identification of Ransomware: Based on past data, a baseline model is created to look for any anomalies in the altered feature values of the copies’ metadata. To ascertain file size fluctuations, entropy values, and resemblances, abnormal copies are further compared. When file changes are suspected of being the result of ransomware encryption, they are tagged appropriately using the machine learning (ML) model.
- Sensible vulnerability detection: By using an intelligent clustering approach, brute force cracking is avoided. Compression nesting with 100 layers is detectable by the CDE.
- Smart handling of threats: collaboration in network security automatically separates lost hosts, provides linkage policies, recovers ransomware attack vectors based on threat events, and responds to threats in a matter of minutes.
The importance of multiple layers in cybersecurity
With the ability to result in large financial losses and harm to an organization’s reputation, ransomware attacks are becoming a more serious danger to businesses of all shapes and sizes. A layered strategy that integrates several security measures to produce complete protection against various attacks is the greatest defence against ransomware.
With the ability to result in large financial losses and harm to an organization’s reputation, ransomware attacks are becoming a more serious danger to businesses of all shapes and sizes. A layered strategy that integrates several security measures to produce complete protection against various attacks is the greatest defence against ransomware.
Organizations may greatly lower their chance of becoming victims of ransomware attacks and safeguard their operations, data, and reputation by implementing a proactive, multi-layered protection strategy against the threat.