Should a business ever pay a ransomware demand?
Should a business ever pay a ransomware demand?
The one word that universally incites fear, concern, stress and sleepless nights across every in a business is commonly known as Ransomware.
What is Ransomware?
Ransomware is a type of malware from cryptovirology that threatens to publish the victim's data or perpetually block access to it unless a ransom is paid.
It started with a trojan called PC Cyborg and has evolved into a multitude of darkweb services examples include Petya, Cerber, Satan RaaS Platform etc.
How is it delivered?
Typically to an unsuspecting user, either through spamming hundreds of thousands of accounts with malicious links to play the numbers game. Or alternatively targeting specific individuals with an intelligence led attack. There are many social sophisticated engineering attacks deployed to get a user to open or click a link.
Should you pay?
- If you pay up, what is to stop it happening again?
- If you don’t pay, will you get your data back? This becomes slightly more desperate if you don’t have recent or an adequate backup of your data.
- If you pay, you make it worth fuel the success of the criminal actions.
- No data, no business. Will the business survive if you don’t?
The various silver bullet products, solutions, policies and system testing can and absolutely go a long way in preventing, securing and backing up your data to make your business as resilient as possible.
The other key is to raise awareness and train the weakest link, aka the users of the systems. An educated user who is aware of the basics of cyber security will make a significant difference.
Thoughts from an expert:
Clive Finlay Head of EMEA Solution Engineering Symantec (A Division of Broadcom)
Companies should never pay the ransomware, for a multitude of reasons, the main one being that you may fuel the criminal organisation to do more; and there is no reason why they will not hit your company again after you pay. Also, bear in mind that in some parts of the world like the US it is a criminal offence to pay the ransom, this is considered funding terrorism. However, we all appreciate what a difficult position a company may be in should their critical data be crypto-locked via ransomware, since there is no way of decrypting without the key due to the industrial strength of the encryption that is typically used today. This is why investment in modern cyber security endpoint protection and system back-ups are critical. Your last line of defence is backing up your data and if there is a weak link here in your current organisational back-up process then don’t delay in putting it right.
Andy Qualtro. Security Professional.
Don’t ever pay.
1) You fund the bad guys
2) There’s no guarantee that someone who was willing to blackmail you in the first place will keep to their side of any deal ... I know what I’d put my money on.
Prevention is the best course of action. Focus on keeping your malware defences up to date and your data backed up.
If you are hit you’ll have a backup, right? A simple restore and a tool such as Power Eraser (available free from Norton) will sort you out.
Latest Jobs
-
- PCI QSA needed. Discreet Opportunity | London | Client facing
- London
- N/A
-
CH08421 PCI QSA needed. Discreet Opportunity | London | Client facing. Payment Card Industry - Qualified Security Assessor - London Seeking someone looking to accelerate their career, into a variety of interesting clients / projects. Must be happy to be onsite with clients- this is not a fully remote role. You must currently hold a valid CISSP or CISM or ISO27001 lead implementer certification AND one of the following; CISA, GSNA, iso27001 lead Auditor, CIA or IRCA ISMS auditor+ Visa sponsorship not available. Apply today for more information chris.holt@dclsearch.com Use this whatapp link to reach out https://wa.me/message/6USF5RAQBOZIP1
-
- Network / Security Infrastructure Engineer | West London | Permanent
- London
- N/A
-
Network / Security Infrastructure Engineer | West London | Current Config, Install, upgrade experience On prem / Datacetner experience essential. Hands on experience MUST include: Routing, Switching, Network Security (firewall, IDS etc), Microsoft exchange / Exchange 365. Scripting / automation experience wanted. Python, Powershell etc Regular travel to West London is required. Visa sponsorship not available. Apply today for more information chris.holt@dclsearch.com Use this whatapp link to reach out https://wa.me/message/6USF5RAQBOZIP1
-
- Security Operations / information Security Analyst / Engineer. London
- London
- N/A
-
Security Operations / information Security Analyst / Engineer needed for a London opportunity. A technical hands on role to investigate, escalate and proactively work to protect a globally recognised brand. Someone with SOC Analyst / security engineering background would be well suited. This position will join a small team and would suit someone that has broad experience across the security threat landscape. Experience / knowledge across industry GRC standards such NIST, ISO27001 etc very advantageous and a priority. You will work across multiple teams proactively working to secure the business. Must be able to commute to Central London 3 days a week. Visa sponsorship not available Apply today to find out more.
-
- Security Cleared Penetration Tester: United Kindom
- N/A
- N/A
-
Security Cleared Penetration Tester Deliver technical Penetration tests to the NCSC CHECK standard. Active CHECK Member or Leader status desirable either in Web Application or Infrastructure. Reach out to find out more. Whatsapp directly here https://wa.me/message/6USF5RAQBOZIP1 Or apply today