Important Ransomware Notification!
As widely reported, hackers launched a global ransomware campaign last Friday, May 12, known as “WannaCry Ransomware." Targeting tens of thousands of companies and governmental organizations in over 150 countries, this campaign systematically encrypts files, rendering them inaccessible, and asks businesses to pay a ransom in order to regain access. This outbreak continues to spread.
There is no fix for WannaCry or any form of Ransomware. Businesses impacted by Ransomware without a Business Continuity system in place are instructed to restore from their latest data backup, unless their backup was infected as well. Restoring from your latest backup may take an average of 35 business days. Note that your business will be shut down during this restore time and any data created after the last backup deemed ‘clean’ will be lost.
If there is no backup or data was not stored in a Business Continuity system: 1) You can try to pay the ransom; this does not in any way guarantee you will get your data back. You would then contact the Internet Crime Complaint Center and inform them you paid, per the FBI. If you are a healthcare organization, this will also go into your Security Incident log for reporting. 2) You can wipe all of your systems, including your data, and start from scratch.
So here are some critical questions for your business: Do you have a Business Continuity system in place? Do you have a written disaster recovery plan? Have your employees been educated on proper computer use and social engineering?
This is just the beginning of ransomware attacks in 2017. Let’s get your business ready for what’s to come. Contact Gibraltar today so we can make sure you’re protected!!
