San Jose Healthcare Organizations Need To Prepare For Ransomware
Key points:
- Ransomware continues to plague the healthcare sector
- Do you have the security solutions to stay secure?
- Put your ransomware defense to the test using the self-evaluation tool linked below.
Is Your San Jose Healthcare Organization Ready For Ransomware?
Experts estimate that a ransomware attack occurred every 11 seconds in 2021.
It’s the almost absolute certainty that you will be attacked with ransomware at some point and possibly even infected.
That’s why you need to take action and defend yourself. Check out our latest tech tip video to find out more:
Ransomware Is Ravaging The Healthcare Industry
Did you know that ransomware attacks accounted for 50% of cybercrime incidents in the healthcare industry in 2020?
That trend continued through 2021 as well, with 43% of medical organizations experiencing at least one attack over the past two years.
As the healthcare industry ramped up vaccination research and production throughout the pandemic, cybercriminals refocused their efforts on this valuable data.
Do you have a plan for defending against ransomware in 2022?
The Threat Of Ransomware Is Evolving
A few years ago, ransomware wasn’t a big concern.
While high-profile incidents like the WannaCry attack on the NHS were concerning, they were few and far between. If you had a recent backup of your data, you could rely on that to replace it if it was encrypted by ransomware.
Since then, however, the way cybercriminals use ransomware has evolved. They have improved their tactics and capabilities, allowing them to do much more damage, and demand much more money. Characteristics of modern ransomware attacks include:
Expanded Timelines
Sophisticated attackers sneak ransomware into a breached network and then lay dormant for weeks or months, ensuring their entry method isn’t discovered immediately. This gives them time to embed themselves, steal data, and more, all before they activate the ransomware and infect the systems.
Without undertaking extensive forensic processes, an infected business won’t know how far back they need to back up its systems. Or, even worse, it will be so far back that they’ve already expunged those backups to make room for more recent versions.
Improved Capabilities
Modern forms of ransomware can even target and infect backup hard drives and cloud-based data if the connections are left unsecured. That’s why cybersecurity professionals are now recommending digitally-air-gapped backups as well.
Given the effectiveness of modern ransomware attacks, defensive methods and best practices from just a few years ago are already losing feasibility. All of this is to say that you can’t assume you won’t be infected at some point.
No matter how strong your defensive capabilities are, ransomware may still get through. It only takes one entry-level employee clicking on an email link to let the cybercriminal into your system.
How Should You Protect Your Practice?
The best way to defend against ransomware is to work with an IT company (like Veltec Networks) whose team can implement a range of cybersecurity protections that will keep your data protected and your business in operation, no matter what happens.
Recommended security measures include:
Access Controls
Access controls should be configured so that shared permissions for directories, files, and networks are restricted. The default settings should be “read-only” access to essential files, with limited permissions for write access to critical files and directories. Furthermore, only those needing local admin rights can have that access.
Firewall
Your firewall is your first line of defense for keeping your information safe. A firewall is a particular type of solution that maintains the security of your network. It blocks unauthorized users or suspicious connections from gaining access to your data. Firewalls are deployed via hardware, software, or a combination.
Network Monitoring
Your IT company should monitor your systems around the clock, identify suspicious activity, and address it immediately to prevent any adverse effects.
The ideal way to handle this is with MDR, an outsourced service that provides organizations with threat-hunting services and responds to threats once they are discovered. MDR fully manages your cybersecurity defense, keeping an eye out for threats and providing an expert team to address them when they occur.
Data Backup
If you have a data backup solution, it doesn’t matter if your data has been encrypted. You can replace it with your backup. Simple as that.
That’s why you should invest considerably in a comprehensive backup data recovery solution to restore your data immediately when necessary. Be sure to:
- Back up data regularly, both on and offsite.
- Inspect your backups manually to verify that they maintain their integrity.
- Secure your backups and keep them independent from the networks and computers they are backing up.
- Separate your network from the backup storage so the encryption process cannot “hop” networks to the backup storage device.
What Would Happen If You Were Infected With Ransomware Right Now?
Do you have a plan? Are your system endpoints protected? Are your backups recent, tested, and viable?
It’s a mistake to assume that you won’t be anytime soon just because you haven’t been hit by ransomware yet. You may think you can put off investing in adequate cybersecurity support, but you may get hit without warning.
Put Your Ransomware Defense To The Test
Whether you’re sure you’re correctly defending against ransomware or not, you need to verify your defensive capabilities. You can do so right now by using the self-evaluation tool at StopRansomware.gov.
This tool will walk you through a robust ransomware defense, ensuring you have the correct solutions and best practices.
Need Expert Assistance With Your Ransomware Defense?
What can you do when you’re unsure if you have the skills or knowledge to do the job? Consult with cybersecurity professionals like those on the Veltec Networks team.
Our job is to manage your cybersecurity, simple as that. Instead of needing an employee or internal team to keep your tech and data secure, you let our team do it for you.
Get in touch with our team to get started on your ransomware defense today.
