In late May, Microsoft issued an advisory warning for companies and organizations worldwide — protect against a strain of ransomware called PonyFinal. It’s been out there for about two months now, ZDNet reports.
First of all, what is ransomware? It’s malware created to deny access to a computer system or data until a person or company pays a ransom for it. Usually, your system will be infected by way of a phishing email or by visiting a compromised website, according to the United States Department of Homeland Security.
The DHS says this can inflict a devastating blow to a person or their company. Usually, people who have particularly sensitive data stored — such as people in government agencies, healthcare or the financial sector — are the main targets. It can be hard to get this data back, requiring the help of a data recovery
service and the payment of that ransom, which could amount to a hefty sum.
PonyFinal was slightly different from the typical ransomware — it’s what’s known as “human-operated ransomware,” which means hackers directly infiltrate the networks and place the malicious software themselves rather than resort to phishing emails, for instance, according to ZDNet.
If you are a business owner or oversee an agency that’s responsible for sensitive data, you should train those who work for you on best practices to deal with this kind of cybercrime. The DHS suggests that you take these
essential protocols:
Update software: Make sure your devices and computer systems are up-to-date with the latest patches to protect from hacks and viruses.
Screen your emails: Don’t open links or attachments from unsolicited emails in your Inbox.
Back it up: Backup your data on a regular basis. Keep it on a separate drive and store it offline, not the cloud.
Restrict access: Restrict user permissions to install and run software on any of your systems.
Put on the spam filters: Use strong spam filters for your emails to block phishing emails.
Scan your emails: Please scan all of your incoming and outgoing emails in order to pinpoint threats.
Firewalls: Put firewalls in place to block access to malicious IP addresses.
For their full list of recommendations, go here.