Ransomware is one of the biggest cybersecurity threats of the decade. An attack on your business will cost you money, whether it’s through direct costs like buying new equipment or paying the ransom or indirect costs like lost work time that could be spent making an extra buck. To help you get started with protecting your important files, we’ve put together a short post on why you need ransomware protection for your Network Attached Storage.
The dangers of ransomware
Ransomware is malicious software that encrypts files and demands payment for their decryption. Most ransomware attacks are targeted at large businesses, but many small organizations are also affected, including schools, hospitals, and local governments.
Ransomware attacks are insidious. They arrive as an email attachment or a link in a phishing email that comes as an attachment. Once executed, the ransomware encrypts the entire hard drive, rendering it useless. In most cases, the only way to restore a hard drive is to reinstall the operating system and applications because, in most cases, there is no guarantee that you will get your data back after you pay the ransom.
What is my risk for getting hit with ransomware?
Ransomware attacks are a growing threat. In February 2016, the Kaspersky Labs security unit reported that ransomware had increased by 300% over the previous 12 months. The risks include financial loss, loss of reputation, and loss of productivity. For organizations that store sensitive data, such as personally identifiable information (PII), healthcare information, and financial records, the financial impact of the ransomware may be significant.
Reputational risk is also a concern. For example, if an organization is targeted by ransomware, it could damage its reputation with customers, partners, and regulators.
The risk to productivity is also significant. If an organization’s operations were interrupted, productivity could decrease significantly, as employees spent time troubleshooting the ransomware infection and restoring data.
What can you do to prevent ransomware attacks on your Enterprise NAS storage?
So what can you do?
First, don’t panic. If you suspect that you can be a target of prying eyes, follow standard anti-ransomware procedures. Make backups, employ anti-ransomware software, have multiple redundant copies of your data, make use of snapshots, and use AES 256-bit encryption. Luckily StoneFly is one of the few manufacturers that provides some of the best NAS systems that provide all these features in their NAS appliances. So if you are interested, do check them out.
Do remember, though, that Backups are essential, not only because they help you recover data from ransomware. They also help you recover from hardware failures, software malfunctions, and accidental deletions.
Bottom Line
So does your NAS storage need ransomware protection? Absolutely yes! Data is the life and blood of your business, and you need to be aware of the risks posed by ransomware attacks.
Here are some tips to protect your NAS storage against ransomware attacks.
- Set up a firewall on your NAS device.
- Install antivirus and antimalware protection on your system.
- Use encryption to protect your data.
- Isolate your NAS devices from the rest of your system.
- Always back up your data.
