Before we begin with disaster recovery, let’s understand a bit about ransomware and what it entails.
What is Ransomware?
Ransomware can be described as malicious software. It can infect computers and display messages. The system goes through a downtime.
And for getting it up and about, the business would have to pay a fee or ransom to get the system to work again.
This is a new age criminal money-making technique. This is incorporated into the system through unsuspicious looking links through email or message.
It could through the website itself. Ransomware can lock the computer screen. It could encrypt some key, critical or confidential files. And only a password would open it.
Types of Malware
- A basic type of ransomware is scareware. It’s the modern version of using coercion and fear. And then lure the potential victims into paying up.
- This method uses a basic form of fake software through a message on a screen. The message could highlight some harmful issues and asks for an online payment to solve them.
- Today more intricate techniques are used. And a common one is using malicious spam or malspam. A simple uninvited email is used to deliver malware to unsuspecting customers.
- Emails include links or regular attachments like PDFs or MS docs. This is used to lure people into opening attachments or clicking links. It could seem from trusted partners, vendors, or a Company.
- These criminals can also pose as a law enforcement agency. And then trick people into releasing some cash as ransom.
- Another popular way of malvertising. As the name suggests, malicious advertising uses online advertising to dispense malware with negligible interaction.
- While browsing the web, the users could be directed to criminal servers. Without even without clicks and links. These servers collate details about potential victims and then send the malware to them. The malware sent is ransomware.
Basic Knowledge of Ransomware
Despite so many ransomware attacks, a lot of businesses do not have a basic understanding of how ransomware looks like or operates.
Ransomware uses sophisticated encryption techniques to lock-up systems. It then stealthily uploads its file into the unsuspecting system that cannot be detected easily.
Many companies have now to re-invent their data and system recovery strategy based on the increasing number of ransomware attacks and infection through malware.
Many companies could handle attacks before without any issues. Just updating an antivirus software program or managing a few firewalls will not suffice. As a result, enterprises today are putting cybersecurity and disaster recovery on top priority.
Companies of any size must organize security exercises. They need to incorporate stronger security defenses and tools.
They must even establish employee awareness measures in dealing with cyber safety. This needs to be coupled with implementing stronger disaster recovery assurance.
The Advent of Cloud Computing
The last few years have witnessed a meteoric rise in cloud migration. A vast majority of businesses including small and medium ones moved from legacy infrastructure to the cloud.
As is well known, data is the new oil. It’s the most valuable asset of the modern corporation. Loss or theft of data can result in irreparable damage to businesses. This can be from a decline in productivity and revenue. It could mean a setback to one’s image or even losing away a sizable chunk of customers.
It’s difficult to predict when a disaster can strike. From a casual mishap of data loss due to human or system error or perhaps a preplanned malware attack.
While we may not be able to prevent such an event, we can control the way we handle the steps and means to recover from it.
Disaster Recovery in Cloud Computing
Disaster recovery entails using the cloud as a means of storing data and applications. When disaster strikes, a secondary site is available as a back-up. Cloud computing services are rendered by service providers in a pay-as-you-need format.
So, data and information can be accessed on an anytime and anywhere basis. Backup and disaster recovery in cloud computing can be automated. This requires minimum input and minimum recovery time.
The main objective of disaster recovery is to reduce the total impact of an attack on the business. That’s exactly what the cloud does. If a disaster is spotted, key jobs can be transported across to the disaster recovery site. Thereafter, regular business operations can commence.
Once all damage and risk have been brought under control, all data and workload can be retrieved from the cloud. All data and infrastructure can be restored to their original state as before. Hence business downtime is reduced. And service disruption can be kept at bay or reduced to a minimum.
Planning for Disaster Recovery
Cost benefits, scale, and dependability using cloud computing services have become a very viable and attractive proposition. And hence a large number of organizations have resorted to the cloud since disaster recovery is a key factor in making such decisions. Cloud service providers provide access to cloud storage. This translates into an effective solution to data safety and disaster recovery as well as recovery time. With cloud service, the Companies don’t have to invest in building a secondary physical site. Or buy additional systems as recovery software to support critical operations. With disaster recovery in cloud computing, access to cloud storage can be used as a secondary disaster recovery site.
As we know cybercrime elements need a weak IT security system and a not so comprehensive disaster recovery plan.
Even in 2020, ransomware is edging into a billion-dollar industry. MSSP and IT security vendors need to be in a constant state of battle and preparedness to fight such criminals.
But an IT system may not always be a hundred percent secure. So hence backup, disaster planning, and recovery time measures need to be robust and the last line of defense. This will deter potential and planned ransomware attacks. The recovery process should enable the business to quickly clean the systems and ensure normalcy is restored at the earliest.
