How Backups Can Save your Business in a Ransomware Attack

To prevent ransomware infecting your system you need a multilayered security approach.  From comprehensive and regular staff training, to machine learning antivirus software, to cloud storage/backups with version control, you need all of this to prevent viruses such as WannaCry taking hold.

What happens, however, when the virus finds a way through?  This is when the trusty offline backup can save your business.

Backups and Ransomware

Ransomware is a particularly fiendish virus.  Once your files become infected it will be the quality of your backups that will determine whether or not you can save the day.  Hackers are making ransomware more sophisticated with the latest attacks not only encrypting endpoint files, but all of your storage.

This is where much of your mission critical data resides, and opens the doors for the virus to spread to other devices and machines, cloud and shared storage, and your backup files.

As such, a new more robust backup policy has to be implemented otherwise your backups will be rendered useless in the case of a ransomware attack.

Backup Best Policy

Increasingly, IT experts believe that you need a three tier backup system.  Here’s why;

• Your first tier backup can easily become infected by ransomware, encrypting it and rendering it useless.
• The second tier of backups should be external to the system you want to protect. This could include network attached storage which is relatively fast to restore and save files, but again there are risks.  It is not unthinkable that the ransomware could get to the second tier backups making it obsolete.
• Your third tier, however, should be offline and offsite storage. This is good practice even if you are unconcerned about ransomware.  One fire and everything is lost.  One ransomware attack and you’re paying someone thousands of pounds to give you back what’s yours.  Offsite and offline adds an additional layer of security.

Offline backups are more hassle.  Saving to tapes or hard drives tends to take longer and restore times increase.  Their advantages, however, in protecting against a complete data loss scenario cannot be overstated.

As they are separate from your system, they will not be infected from ransomware or other viruses, and as such make restoring your system to a useable state possible.  They also ensure as much as possible that you will not have to pay the ransom.

Testing and Policy

It is important you test your backup system to ensure that it works.  There are plenty of legacy backup systems which simply do not do the job.  Ensure your backup system is fit for purpose before purchase, and then test it regularly.  You do not want nasty surprises should the backup system be needed.

Many believe that a policy of backing up daily is the best way forward.  If practical it is a sensible idea to adopt.

Get in Touch for More Information on Ransomware Backups

Ransomware is scary and quite horrible.  Criminal gangs are making a fortune from it and will continue to do so while it is lucrative.

Together we can make your business as secure as possible and protect your business reputation.  Call Bean IT on 0121 667 8977 or email info@beanit.co.uk to discuss your data backup.