We would say ransomware is back in the news, but that would suggest that it ever actually left.
However, two recent incidents that made national news headlines are frightening reminders of how pervasive this threat has become to both private and public sector entities.
You Are Not Powerless
As these attacks are carried out on municipalities, school districts and utilities both large and small, and many of those victimized see no alternative but to pay the ransom required to regain access to their systems, it may seem like ransomware is now just one of those unavoidable dangers that you can only hope never darkens your door.
But this is not like a hurricane or other natural disaster where you have no choice in whether it hits you or not. There are steps you can take to prevent a ransomware attack.
Read our Whitepaper: Ransomware and Municipal Websites: A Prevention and Protection Strategy
In the case of the Colonial Pipeline shutdown, the attack was traced to a compromised password. The account in question was not guarded by an extra layer of security known as multi-factor authentication.
At JBS, the world’s largest meat processing company, installation of malicious software is the suspected cause, but no final determination has been made.
The disruption of national beef and gas supplies is serious business. If these hackers can breach such formidable targets, what chance does your school or police department network stand?
You’d be surprised.
24/7 Ransomware Protection: Available from 360Civic
As the arms race escalates between public sector websites trying to protect confidential information and hackers trying to steal it, 360Civic is proud to offer a ransomware protection service.
Our experienced security and web development teams will install a number of effective protocols to protect you from ransomware attacks, from two-form identification using mobile phones and email, to visual passwords that are harder to crack. We segregate access rights so the fewest number of administrators or personnel have the privileges necessary to do their work. By integrating with Active Directory and other technologies, we can update users and remove former users quickly. We also enhance security by hardening open source CMSs and developing both open-source and proprietary modules.
And that’s just a start. The 360Civic plan for protecting websites also includes:
- Incorporating firewalls and security certificates
- Limiting access to information strategies
- Layout design with a clear delineation between public and private information
This service is available to any entity that uses our servers for hosting. The time to take action is before an attack occurs. We’re here to help.
Download our ransomware protection whitepaper
