A gap has been identified in the continued fight against ransomware, and it’s with smaller businesses and startups. That’s according to a report cited by Yahoo Finance, which notes that 63% of small business owners believe that they are vulnerable to ransomware or a data breach.
While 58% percent of the tech startup founders surveyed believe they’re likely to face an attack, a similar 57% of those same founders have fears that they don’t have sufficient coverage or risk assessment for ransomware or data breaches. For small business owners, that amounts to 46%.
Awareness is also a concern. The report notes that only 22% of business owners surveyed have fully read through cybersecurity policies at their companies.
There are definitely ways that business owners can be more conscientious about ransomware and its effects. A lot of it comes down to planning and diligence when it comes to testing out plans and policies, according to a list prepped by the website Tech Radar.
Here’s a look at what you should do to mitigate the effect of a ransomware attack, or even prevent it from happening in the first place.
Put together a plan
Having an incident response plan, and making sure it is both read and tested out by employees, is an important first step. It needs to include a chain of commands for incidents as well as the processes and tech used to reduce threats.
Find out where hackers can hide
It’s a good idea for IT teams to look at logs beyond the basic 30 days of an active directory. The further back you scan, the more likely you can find where compromises might have taken place.
Do some patching work
Make sure that assets are located in a way that they are easily seen and accessed by IT. This includes physical devices, storage, apps, the cloud and servers.
Test, test, test
Don’t forget this crucial part of security. This applies not only to current systems but also to backup access. Regular testing means that you can see where vulnerabilities are and you can address solutions before it’s a crisis.
Ask the experts
The only way to ensure you are not vulnerable to cyberattacks is to prevent them before they are able to access your computers. While traditional cyber security “Detect and Respond” based solutions are 45-70% effective, other solutions are now available for use by the private sector that has achieved100% effectiveness over a more than 7-year period by the US Military.
If you’re curious about how a ransomware solution can best fit into your companies cybersecurity policies, we have set aside time online for senior business leaders, board members and IT professionals to see a live demo of our solution, AppGuard.
Go to our Calendly site to see the dates and times that are currently available. You can also visit our website to learn more about how we can add value.
