Cryptolocker ransomware warning

The days of simple annoying malware developed by amateurs are over – replaced by destructive ransomware that will eat your data before you eyes, offering you to pay a ransom to retrieve it. A new level of organised crime with a pure focus on making money.

Here at Carden IT Services we are often asked “what is the best anti-virus product on the market?”. While Anti-Virus vendors change their products to suit new threats on a regular basis, one thing does not change. The best form of defence that beats any Anti-Virus hands down. The best thing about this product – IT’S FREE! What is this product? I hear you cry.

Common Sense

Yes you read that correctly. It is entirely possible that one day one of your employees will double click on something they shouldn’t. Educating employees will help, but with staff turnovers, lapses in concentration, different levels of IT knowledge, there are no guarantees by depending on common sense alone. One wrong click could have a devastating effect on your business.

Ransomware is always developing. As security companies put measures in place by upgrading their products, the creators of this crime redevelop their infections to break through these systems. The vendors of Anti-Virus security products only know about potential dangers after WE have been infected and reported this to them. This is a fact. Known as 0day attacks, there will ALWAYS be a period where the creators of this crime are one step ahead of the game. As an example of this, recent Crypto developments see the infections connect to their servers to download the malicious code via IP address in the URL string, bypassing any DNS blacklisting software. It wasn’t until the first batch of people were hit with this and reported it that companies such as Trend, MacAfee and Symantec could amend their products to defend against it.

As in our title, PREVENTION IS BETTER THAN CURE. Anti-Virus is now no longer enough to protect your business against the various threats roaming the internet. With additional security policies in place, a web security device, email scanning and regular health checks on your network, you will be less likely to be faced with days or down time while recovering from a backup. Are these products and services free? No. Are they worth it for peace of mind and cost saving should you be faced with a disaster or data loss? Yes.

Don’t risk it. Don’t be held to ransom. Here at Carden IT we have researched, tested and deployed email security, web security and file security products that should all be in place, along with strict group and firewall policies. Regular audits and disaster recovery tests/documentation are also essential to best place you in such an event.

Please contact one of our team to discuss these services further.