A few years ago, we assisted a local NJ business that came to us after struggling for a week on their own to recover from a ransomware attack. Safeguards were in place, but their security posture lax. The antivirus was renewed religiously every year and it was assumed an old firewall was still protecting them. It was also assumed the computer guy was doing his part to keep the business secure.

They were wrong and ignorance was not bliss. The old, out-of-date firewall provided little protection against current threats. The antivirus was ineffective in stopping the invasive ransomware once the infected email link was clicked. The computer guy was fixing issues as they arose, but they never asked (and he never offered) any sort of upgrades or management of their cybersecurity. The ransomware quickly spread from the lawyer’s PC to the network and soon encrypted the entire server network. An online backup had been established the prior year, but it hadn’t been running in 6 months. No one had bothered to check, and there were no other backups.

By the time the business came to us, there was very little we could do. But if they had reached out to us before this attack, all of this could have been prevented.

Decryption keys are available for some types of older ransomware which makes recovering data fairly easy. However, this strain of ransomware was new and breaking the encryption without the decryption keys is virtually impossible. The FBI recommends against paying a ransom. After all, there is no guarantee you will get your data once you pay. And paying a ransom is also no easy task. Bitcoins must be purchased through a public exchange and then transferred to the bad guys over the “dark web” with the hope you receive your decryption keys. The business decided to pay the ransom as well as restore from the 6 month old backup.

For many of the reported cases of ransomware infections in NJ, we know the businesses were able to restore from backup and therefore, are unconcerned with protecting against future attacks. The thought of confidential client data in the hands of criminals or extended employee downtime or even the fear that the backup may not have been healthy is not enough for many businesses to make a change.

The moral of the story is: Be prepared. Just having a good backup is not the end of the story. According to the NJ Identity Theft Protection Act, all data breaches including ransomware may require a breach notice. Breach notices not only increase the monetary cost of a security incident; they can be devastating to a business’s reputation.wer workloads.

Do not bet the livelihood of your business on a backup. Safeguards are available that can ensure almost zero likelihood of infection at little to no cost. You owe it to your staff, clients and professional reputation to use due diligence in securing your business. Let us help you scale and manage your business before it’s too late. Don’t rely on the “computer guy” – rely on us: a dedicated team of experts. You need to focus on your core business. Ransomware attacks will not only halt your operations, but also possibly ruin your reputation. Find a Cybersecurity expert who can evaluate your current situation, and make sure you are secure.

Want more from your IT provider? We know change is hard.