Jan-Feb 2020 - ChannelVision Magazine

CYBER PATROL M icrosoft officially ended support for Windows 7 on January 14, a decision that impacts about one quarter of all PCs. Now, businesses that are still running on Windows 7 are strongly encouraged to upgrade as soon as possible in order to receive critical security updates. Businesses that continue using Windows 7 will be highly vulnerable to security threats – arguably the deadliest of which is ransomware. While ransomware is by no means a new threat, it’s still a dangerous one. In fact, according to a report from Dat- to, ransomware is now the most promi- nent malware threat facing businesses today. In addition, nearly half of MSPs reported that victimized clients experi- enced business-threatening downtime from ransomware. And downtime costs are up 200 percent year over year The threat is especially danger- ous for SMBs, which tend to lack the resources for recovering from a pro- longed state of downtime. About one in five SMBs claimed to have fallen victim to a ransomware attack. And 85 percent of MSPs reported seeing ran- somware attacks against SMBs during the last two years. To Pay or Not to Pay? Part of what makes a ransomware attack so difficult to manage is that it requires trusting hackers to restore access after receiving payment. Of- tentimes, this simply does not happen. There have been many cases reported where hackers were given hefty pay- ments, only to delete files or disappear altogether without a trace – essentially robbing the victim twice, while leaving them unable to recover their data. “Paying ransoms emboldens criminals to target other organizations and pro- vides an alluring and lucrative enterprise to other criminals,” the FBI explained in a recent public service announcement. “However, the FBI understands that when businesses are faced with an inability to function, executives will evaluate all options to protect their shareholders, em- ployees, and customers.” Instead, the FBI recommends that businesses report ransomware inci- dents to law enforcement. “Doing so provides investigators with the critical information they need to track ransomware attackers, hold them ac- countable under U.S. law, and prevent future attacks,” the bureau continued Recent Ransomware Unfortunately, it’s easy to carry on ignoring threats like ransomware, thinking that they won’t happen – until an attack occurs, and workers open their computers only to be denied ac- cess, triggering panic. One recent example occurred on Christmas, when New York’s Albany International Airport was hit with a Sodinokibi ransomware attack that encrypted administrative files. Fortu- nately, traveler data was supposedly left untouched, and operations weren’t impacted. However, the airport wound up making a five-figure ransom in Bit- coin to restore access to its data. In this example, the organization received an encryption key which put an end to the problem. However, it was a risky move. After all, there is no tell- ing who the airport paid to get its data back. In many cases, ransomware can come from criminal organizations and even terrorist groups, which is partly why the FBI discourages companies from caving to demands. Instead, businesses are encouraged to back up their files. In the Datto re- port, 92 percent of MSPs said that cli- ents with business continuity and disas- ter recovery (BCDR) solutions are less likely to suffer from significant downtime during a ransomware attack. And four in five MSPs said that victimized clients with a BCDR solution recovered from an attack in 24 hours or less. What is clear is that ransomware is not going away. The problem is getting worse, and businesses need to be ready to handle an attack. We anticipate see- ing many more large scale ransomware attacks throughout 2020. o Ransomware Roundup By Gerald Baldino Leading Causes of Ransomware Among MSPs’ Customers Phishing emails 67% Lack of cybersecurity training 36% Weak passwords/access management 30% Poor user practices/gullibility 25% Malicious web site/web ads 16% Clickbait 16% Source: Datto survey of MSPs 18 CHANNEL VISION | January - February, 2020