Cybersecurity Services and Incident Response Planning Can Help You Successfully Navigate This Tricky Situation
“Hello. We’re going to play a little game.
I’ve encrypted all your files. That means your photos, videos, documents – everything on your device – is no longer accessible.
Don’t worry, I’m going to give you a chance to get it all back.
Send me $100 in Bitcoin before the timer reaches zero. Otherwise, you’ll lose everything forever.
Don’t try turning off your computer. Don’t try installing cybersecurity services. Don’t try outsmarting me.
Send me what I want, and this will all be over.
You have one hour to comply.”
Pretty aggressive, right?
This is how the typical ransomware message reads. It suddenly takes over your device, explains how it’s holding your data hostage, and sets a non-negotiable price to reclaim it.
For most folks, $100 is a small price to pay to get all their data back, which is why ransomware attacks are so effective. Statista reports that there were over 317 million ransomware attempts in 2023.
So, how do you avoid becoming a victim?
The best way to resolve a ransomware attack is to prepare. First, you should establish a robust system of cybersecurity services. If those fail, plan B is to follow an established response checklist to detect, contain, and eradicate the threat.
Familiarizing yourself with managed cybersecurity services and incident response planning can make all the difference in safeguarding your personal and professional data.
How Cybersecurity As a Service Prevents Ransomware
Cybersecurity services prevent ransomware by creating multiple layers of protection around your digital devices and systems. These services include advanced threat detection, real-time monitoring, and employee training to spot phishing attempts.
Managed cybersecurity service professionals implement strong firewalls, regularly update software to patch vulnerabilities, and back up data to ensure it can be recovered if an attack occurs. By identifying threats early and closing security gaps, cybersecurity services help businesses avoid the financial and operational damage caused by ransomware attacks.
How to Respond If Ransomware Breaches Your Cybersecurity Services
The tricky part about ransomware is most cybercriminals give you enough time to come up with the money, but not enough time to learn how to handle the threat. In the event ransomware successfully bypasses your cybersecurity services, here’s how the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recommends you handle it.Phase 1: Detection and Initial Response
- Immediately identify and isolate impacted systems.
- If widespread, take your network offline.
- If full shutdown isn’t possible, unplug or disable Wi-Fi on affected devices.
- Snapshot cloud volumes for future forensic analysis.
- Use out-of-band or offline communication to coordinate response. Power down devices only if they cannot be disconnected another way.
Phase 2: Triage and Investigation
- Prioritize critical systems for recovery and identify essential data.
- Deprioritize unaffected systems for efficient restoration.
- Look for known dropper malware, such as Emotet or QakBot.
- Investigate signs of data exfiltration or previous compromise.
- Review logs from antivirus, endpoint detection and response (EDR), and intrusion detection systems (IDS), and intrusion protection systems (IPS) for additional evidence.
Phase 3: Threat Hunting
- Check for new active directory accounts or privilege escalation.
- Detect misuse of Windows tools, such as vssadmin or PowerShell.
- Investigate for the presence of Cobalt Strike, PsTools, or credential dumping tools.
- Monitor for unexpected endpoint communications.
- Examine potential data exfiltration tools or cloud misuse.
- Detect changes in scheduled tasks, installed software, or services.
- Look for suspicious virtual private networks or remote monitoring and management tool usage.
Phase 4: Reporting and Notification
- Follow your organization’s incident response plan.
- Report to CISA, FBI, IC3, or Secret Service as appropriate.
- Coordinate with communications staff for accurate internal/external messaging.
- Fulfill data breach notification requirements, if applicable.
- Notify internal teams, leadership, cyber insurance, and your managed cybersecurity service provider.
Phase 5: Containment and Eradication
- Capture system images, memory, and relevant logs.
- Preserve volatile evidence such as firewall logs and memory dumps.
- Consult law enforcement about decryptor tools.
- Kill ransomware binaries, delete related files and registry values.
- Identify initial breach vectors and contain compromised accounts and systems.
- Disable remote access as needed.
- Analyze file properties, active sessions, and logins to trace activity.
- Use tools like Wireshark to capture ongoing file changes and transfers.
- Investigate inside-out and outside-in persistence mechanisms.
- Audit accounts and logs; deploy EDR solutions as necessary.
- Rebuild using clean images, reset passwords, and patch vulnerabilities.
Phase 6: Recovery and Post-Incident
- Restore systems from offline, secure backups.
- Keep recovery virtual local area networks clean to prevent reinfection.
- Document lessons learned and update plans accordingly.
- Share threat intelligence and indicators with CISA or ISACs.
- Prevent Disruptive Ransomware Attacks With Managed Cybersecurity Services
- Without adequate preparation, ransomware attacks can strike without warning and cause costly data loss. Ransomware attacks also disrupt business continuity, adding further financial insult to injury.