Veeam and Conversational Geeks collaborated to publish Conversational Ransomware Defense and Survival, an e-book that illustrates the fundamentals for ransomware preparation, protection and recovery. As the title suggests, the book is written in a conversational tone, so it’s easy to read and it addresses both the unlucky ones who have already struggled with ransomware and those who are willing to learn more about this cybersecurity threat.
Conversational Ransomware Defense and Survival introduces ransomware and explains how it evolved into such a dangerous digital threat. Ransomware doesn’t discriminate, so this guide is useful to everyone: IT pros, IT decision makers and executives, from small businesses to large enterprises and across all verticals.
Thinking that ransomware “can’t happen to me” is a dangerous approach and it can cost you a lot! One key learning of this book is that the best protection strategies against ransomware attacks are preparedness and recovery. This guide also talks about the importance of backups and how they can prove to be vital for restoring damaged or lost data when a ransomware attack occurs. Because yes, ransomware is a matter of WHEN, not IF. Your ransomware protection plan should be designed based on the 3-2-1-0 Rule, a simple yet very effective best practice.
You’ll also learn that for an organization to be stronger against ransomware, it is very important for end users to understand the risks that they are exposed to. They should be trained on how to deal with email attachments, unsafe websites and their network connections.
Why is the ransomware threat so important?
Ransomware has become one of the most feared threats for IT environments, reaching $1B in payments in 2016. The malware produces damage not only by the actual cost of ransom, but also by causing revenue decreases due to loss of productivity and a seriously affected reputation. There’s no mercy in ransomware attacks and affected targets can be businesses of any size and shape — even personal computers aren’t skipped.
To better understand the dimension of ransomware, there are “Ransomware as a Service” (RaaS) platforms run by cybercriminals who even provide customer support to negotiate the ransom. The first RaaS platform was introduced by CryptoWall, the most notorious ransomware so far, and it requires no technical knowledge.
But why is ransomware gaining notoriety instead of being vanquished? There are many factors that favored the ascension of ransomware, and unfortunately, it’s not going away anytime soon. Ransomware has been developing like an actual software product, with upgrades and enhancements being pushed really fast. This level of organization requires big budgets and R&D teams, which many legit organizations don’t have. Ransomware built its success on the weakness of the human element in IT environments, and by using social engineering, cybercriminals trick their targets into opening email attachments or clicking harmful URLs. The bad news is that cybercriminals are getting better and better at extorting money from their victims. The real solution is to be fully prepared.
Conversational Ransomware Defense and Survival is a very useful resource for everyone who needs to understand the ransomware threat in a simple and straight-forward manner. Cybercrimes are increasing in volume and efficiency, but we should be active in adapting our knowledge and technology to stay safe.
Register and download the Conversational Ransomware Defense and Survival e-book for FREE!
Read also:
- Solution Brief: Protection Against Ransomware with Veeam
- Designing Veeam Availability Suite to Protect Against Ransomware Threats: Chapter 1
- Ransomware as a Service: Air gapped backups became more important than ever
- 7 Practical tips to prevent ransomware attacks on backup storage
- Ransomware resiliency & Availability: The endpoint is a great place to start