Breaking Ransomware News For San Jose Businesses
Key points:
- Ransomware continues to make headlines
- Did you hear about the recent LA school district attack or the San Francisco 49ers ransomware infection?
- Protecting against ransomware requires a multi-layered cybersecurity defense.
The Latest Ransomware News You Need To Know About
A few days go by without another ransomware story in the news.
What used to be just one threat in the cybercrime landscape has now become the clearest and present danger to modern businesses.
In our latest tech tip, we explore two major ransomware stories and what they mean for you::
LA School District Infected With Ransomware
The Los Angeles Unified School District was attacked over Labor Day weekend by a high-profile cybercrime group: Vice Society.
The district was infected with ransomware, and when they failed to pay the ransom in time, other cyber criminals made the data public online for use. This is not an uncommon occurrence in the education sector these days.
If you operate in the education sector, you must be aware of scams like this. The same strategy can work just as effectively against your students via their school email accounts and your staff members.
After all, 500 schools were hit by ransomware in 2019 alone. A school in Flagstaff had to cancel classes early in their semester because they had to take their systems offline after being infected by ransomware.
San Francisco 49ers Hit By Ransomware.
Given how often ransomware makes the news, it can be challenging to catch every single incident. One that you may have missed was when the San Francisco 49ers were infected with ransomware on Superbowl Sunday.
A cybercrime collective known as BlackByte announced that they had infected the 49er’s systems with ransomware and had stolen more than 21,000 private citizens’ info. This data included:
- First and last names
- Dates of birth
- Social security numbers
This information was then posted for sale on the Dark Web. The Dark Web is a small part of the much larger “deep web”, the common name for an extensive collection of websites that aren’t accessible through normal Internet browsers. These websites are hidden from everyday Internet users through overlay networks.
They’re built on the framework of networks that already exist, and many of them exist. The Deep Web makes up the majority of the information online. Which, when you consider how vast the corner of the Internet you frequent is, is nothing short of terrifying.
This unseen part of the Internet is a perfect place for less-than-scrupulous individuals to connect, network, and share tools, tips, and information. And it should go without saying that whatever they’re up to on these sites is nothing good.
How To Protect Your Data
Protection against ransomware and phishing comes down to a three-tiered approach…
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 at a moment’s notice when necessary.
Be sure to:
- Back up data regularly (at least daily).
- Inspect your backups to verify that they maintain their integrity.
- Secure your backups and keep them independent from the networks and computers they are backing up.
Patch Management
You can’t afford to ignore software update notifications—but depending on your workload, you may have to. That’s where an IT company can help.
Software updates are not only to improve the software’s functionality; they also serve as a patch for recently identified vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit.
Veltec Networks can manage these updates to ensure that not a single one is ever skipped or delayed.
User Awareness
Share these tips to make sure your school community knows how to spot a phishing attempt:
Watch For Overly Generic Content And Greetings
Cybercriminals will send a large batch of emails. Look for examples like “Dear valued customer.”
Examine The Entire From Email Address
The first part of the email address may be legitimate, but the last part might be off by a letter or may include a number in the usual domain.
Look For Urgency Or Demanding Actions
“You’ve won! Click here to redeem a prize,” or “We have your browser history pay now, or we are telling your boss.”
Carefully Check All Links
Mouse over the link and see if the link’s destination matches where the email implies you will be taken.
Notice Misspellings, Incorrect Grammar, & Odd Phrasing
This might be a deliberate attempt to try and bypass spam filters.
Don’t Click On Attachments Right Away
Viruses containing attachments might have an intriguing mess.
Veltec Networks Defends San Jose Organizations With A Multi-Layered Cybersecurity Suite
Are you relying on a simple cybersecurity solution right now? You’re putting your data at risk every minute you continue to do so.
With our team managing your cybersecurity, you can trust that you have a multi-layered defense keeping your data secure. You don’t have to worry about different threats overcoming a basic cybersecurity solution—you’re protected on all fronts.
Get in touch with our team to learn more about our multi-layered approach to cybersecurity.
