13 Expert Tips To Defend Against And Respond To Ransomware Attacks
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In February 2023, the city of Oakland was forced to take multiple systems offline for several days after being hit with a successful ransomware attack; the hackers also released the personal data of city employees online a few weeks later. While notable for its severity, the Oakland attack was not the first high-profile successful ransomware attack, and it almost certainly won’t be the last.
While it’s important for all organizations that deal in data to establish robust cyber defense postures, that’s not enough—many tech experts assert that most organizations will be successfully breached by hackers at some point, so it’s also essential to have an incident response plan ready. Below, 13 industry leaders from Forbes Technology Council share defensive practices and response protocols every public and private entity should have in place to be better prepared for ransomware attacks.
1. Invest In Multi-Location Backups And Data Protection
In 2023, infiltration is inevitable. Damage control falls into two main areas. First, ensure you can bring systems back up quickly. Have multi-location backups (both onsite and offsite), preferably using sharding. This allows a company to recover quickly from a ransomware attack without having to pay the ransom. Second, protect your data. Have an ongoing plan to protect unstructured data, as this is usually where all the damage occurs. – Jo Webber, AtlasJobs
2. Have A Disaster Recovery And Incident Response Plan In Place
Having a robust and regularly tested backup and disaster recovery and incident response plan in place is crucial for businesses and governmental organizations to be better prepared for ransomware attacks. In the event of an attack, having backups of critical data and systems can enable organizations to restore operations quickly and effectively, minimizing disruption and potential financial losses. – Jagadish Gokavarapu, Wissen Infotech
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3. Develop A Comprehensive Software Patching Process
Ensuring all networked systems have all current software patches applied is an essential element for…
