Data backup…your last line of defence in the war against hackers

 

What is the danger to my data?

In the rise of threats to our valuable & private data, cyber-criminals are forever generating new ways to disrupt and defraud our professional and personal lives. One of the cyber threat trends that has seen a sharp upsurge in activity within recent years is Ransomware.

Ransomware takes its action via the arrangement of malicious software that restricts or removes your access to file data stored on your computer or server. Downloaded from an illegitimate website or arriving on your computer via an email link or attachment, the Ransomware application swiftly installs itself & begins to infect or take control of your file data without the computer user even being aware an attack has taken place.

Ransomware, as the name suggests, is a means by which hackers can take something belonging to you or your company and hold it to ransom for release upon receiving a monetary payment from you. Although, there’s no guarantee they’ll even release the file upon receiving your payment!

 

Can we stop ourselves becoming a target?

Although it’s serious to ensure you have cyber defences in place, it is almost impossible to ensure that you are 100% shielded from the threat of cyber-crime, particularly from the specific threat of Ransomware.

The malicious software used to launch a Ransomware attack is constantly developing and can take many forms, despite security vendors frequently updating their software & threat analysis, there is a strong chance that an blameless action by one of your users will result in their machine becoming infected at some point.

 

What we can do if we’re attacked?

Firstly, make efforts to limit your exposure to attack by certifying you have cyber defences in place and have directed awareness training for your team.

But, when you unavoidably suffer from an attack, your last line in the defence against cyber-crime is to rely upon secure recovery point from a current, ring-fenced data backup solution.

With a professional-grade backup service, you can benefit from peace of mind that your up-to-date data is stored, securely, in an alternate offsite location and is ready for recovery at a moment’s notice in the event of loss or corruption to any, or all, of your files or system data.

 

But we already backup data to a disc?

Having a data backup of any kind is a supportive initial step to take in a bid to recover your data in the event of any loss. However! An undeveloped backup to an external disk is by no means a reliable or secure means to achieve true peace of mind with all your system data.

There are several manual elements to a disk backup that limit its efficiency in a disaster; most critically, the need for a person to take the disk offsite and remember to bring it back again.

In the event of a Ransomware attack, should the disk be connected to the network, it will most likely be infected and render the backup useless. This twinned with limited means of running effective repeatedly scheduled backups, results in a data backup to disk being a too restrictive and risky means of recovery in the event of a disaster.

 

What should we do instead?

All businesses should function with an automated on-site + off-site backup service, confirming to the of 3-2-1 backup rule.

3 copies of your data – one active on your server/cloud storage/computers, one local backup copy and one offsite copy.

2 forms of media – varying medium of disk or device used to store the backup copies.

1 copy held offsite.

The service should be managed and monitored day-to-day by your external IT service provider or member of internal IT personnel – with strict urgency placed on acting in the event of a failure or issue logged from the previous day’s backup.

It all sounds pricey, however implementing a professional-grade backup solution doesn’t have to cost the earth; particularly if you factor in the cost and inconvenience of a total, or even partial, loss of data.

Commissioning these rules within your business can go a long way to ensuring a fast & effective recovery from a disaster, should you ache the loss or corruption of any data, however large or small.

Want to get the best of cyber security for your business?

At iTeam, we take a security first approach to technology – ensuring our client’s systems are best protected.

If you have any concerns, questions or simply want to explore how to better secure your business, please do get in touch with the team for a FREE demonstration, consultation to explore how exposed your business might actually be and identify actions to take.

To book a consultation or to arrange a further discussion, please get in touch via our form below, call 03330 507 690 or email Chris on cwatson@iteam.co.uk.