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In May 2017, the WannaCry ransomware attack targeted businesses by holding data hostage for ransom payments. The attack was stopped within a few days by a researcher who just happened to stumble upon the “kill switch.” Yet in that short time frame, it affected more than 300,000 computers with damages ranging into the hundreds of millions of dollars across the globe. Since then, WannaCry has become the reason many business owners and managers have taken steps to learn more about data security.

The cloud is the foundation of much of today’s business solutions and as such, can be helpful in attempting to address data security as a foundational requirement. In this report, you will learn about ransomware, you will discover who holds businesses’ data for ransom, why they do it, what steps you can take to help protect your business, and how the cloud is one way that can help.

What is ransomware?Virus > Infection > Encryption > RansomRansomware is a form of cyberattack that targets businesses, government networks, and personal computers. Many of these attacks are launched to keep businesses from being able to access their own data. More than 4,000 ransomware attacks have occurred every day on average since January 1, 2016.1 This is a 300% increase over the 1,000 attacks per day seen in 2015.

When an employee at an “infected” office tries to access a file, he or she sees a ransom note, often demanding payment to free the data. The ransom note will likely have a threatening message that may read something like this, according to the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT), a division of the Department of Homeland Security:1

Your computer was used to visit websites with illegal content. To unlock your computer, you must pay a $100 fine.

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Help Protect Your Business from Ransomware with Cloud-based Software

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You only have 96 hours to submit the payment. If you do not send money within provided time, all your files will be permanently encrypted and no one will be able to recover them.

Ransomware usually manifests as follows:

First, an infected file somehow is introduced into a business network or system. This can occur a number of ways, but often occurs because of a human factor. Whether it is someone that clicks on a virus-laden file in an e-mail, visits a website that is infected, or otherwise copies a file onto their computer, the result is the same … Infection

Then the ransomware on one computer often tries to spread to other computers over local networks and the internet through security “holes.” Once it finds another computer to infect, it simply and broadly encrypts that data to hold it hostage. At this point, the business owners and managers know they are stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Data remains held for ransom until the ransom is paid. Payment is typically accepted only in the form of a “cryptocurrency” called “Bitcoin,” because this payment process is nearly impossible for law enforcement agencies to track and make arrests. A pop-up message shows how the price of the ransom goes up as time passes until the final time limit expires. At that point, the data will be deleted.

Who does this and why?Ransomware is the product of a billion dollar global industry. The software is created and used by hackers who usually live in countries that do not cooperate with international laws or foreign governments. Unlike common thieves, the hackers behind ransomware and other cyberattacks are highly educated and trained. They know they are committing crimes instead of using their skills for good, but their plans are guided by greed.

What can I do to help prevent an attack?While it is impossible to always stay one step ahead of the cyber-thieves, there are several things your business should consider, helping prevent a cyberattack: Note: If you are not using cloud-based software, you will need to perform these steps yourself. Engaging a credible IT security organization either through a cloud solution or directly is an important step will help off-load some of the responsibility for these tasks.

1. Install and manage a firewall that restricts traffic to only what is necessary for your business.

2. Install antivirus software on all machines to scan, block, and delete Mal-Ware and Viruses.

3. Set these antivirus programs up to perform continuous monitoring and daily scans of your systems for threats.

4. “Patch” all operating systems, software, and firmware on all computers and devices to ensure security updates are applied.

5. Use “spam filters” to help prevent “phishing” emails from reaching email accounts. Re-inforce this with training on how to recognize and avoid falling prey to such tactics.

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6. Perform regular (at least weekly, preferably daily) backups of your data. Take these backups “Off-line” when complete.

7. Test your restore operations to be sure backup data can serve its function in a time of emergency.

8. Document and frequently test security policies that instruct your employees in the best practices.

9. Train employees about the various types of attacks and how to avoid them.

10. Allow access to critical data only to employees that need it.

Cloud-based software offers economies of scale for affordable protectionSteps one through seven require security software and services for effective prevention. For small and medium size businesses, these software solutions can increase cost and reduce profitability. In the Cloud, this software is hosted by the Cloud provider, and because of economies of scale, that software comes at a lower cost. This means businesses pay less for firewalls, antivirus, patches, and spam filters. Cloud providers’ servers and other infrastructure are protected, and that protection extends to their users.

This delivery model provides cybersecurity features, capability, and structured management that consumers often take for granted. Our personal accounts with providers such as Google, Facebook and the like are protected by heavy investments in cybersecurity made by companies that extend to all their users. Cloud ERP systems offer similar economies of scale in cybersecurity for businesses.

With a cloud-based ERP system, businesses can also choose to scale up their processing levels when they are busiest. Often, online retailers will do this leading up to the holiday season. “Buy the base, rent the spike,” is a popular phrase used to describe this practice.

Not only is ERP software affordable when delivered via the cloud, but the cost of running the software is greatly reduced. For many businesses, the greatest savings comes through not having to pay a staff of information technology employees to do this work, and not having to invest in expensive servers and network equipment. Instead, security operations are performed by specially trained IT personnel at secure “data centers” that house large servers and network equipment. These people have experience in the cloud environment and are dedicated to ensuring customers are always protected from data threats.

In effect, most of the investments businesses once made in IT personnel and equipment are being replaced by a modest investment in cloud-based software. This powerful time and money-saving model allows businesses to leave steps one through seven referenced above to their cloud providers, while they focus on steps eight through ten.

The end result: Businesses using cloud-based software have the time and resources to focus on their core business and the bottom line and leave a lot of the data security to the experts.

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What should you do if your business is attacked and is not protected in the cloud?The U.S. government has worked with leading industry experts in data security to develop the following plan of action if your business has been infected with ransomware:1

1. Remove any computers that may have been infected from the network.

2. Isolate or power-off devices that may be at risk.

3. Secure backup data and systems by taking them offline.

4. Contact law enforcement immediately! Call the FBI or U.S. Secret Service to report an event and request assistance. (See the website listed in the citation at the end of this document for the contact information of these agencies.)

5. If possible, collect portions of the data that might still be accessible.

6. If possible, change all online account passwords and network passwords.

7. Delete registry values and files to stop the program from loading.

If your business is operating on a cloud-based ERP software system, your data security risks are greatly reduced. Cloud-based systems deliver stronger protections against all threats, from malware and phishing to password and denial-of-service attacks than were a small business attempt to implement these on their own. In the event of any attack, your provider will work with you to maximize your opportunity for a complete data recovery.

Fortunately, most businesses are now running software in the cloud, or making this a near-term plan. Each business that makes the transition operates in a community that stands strong and united against cybercrime.

LEARN WHAT JobBOSS CAN DO FOR YOUR BUSINESS VISIT: www.JobBOSS.com EMAIL: JobBOSSinfo@ECiSolutions.com CALL: 800.777.4334

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1”How to Protect Your Networks from Ransomware,” United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT), Department of Homeland Security, revised June 28, 2017, https://www.us-cert.gov/security-publications/Ransomware