Baltimore County Public Schools were targeted last month with a ransomware attack that shut down schools for days. Now Greater Baltimore Medical Center has been hit with a similar attack that knocked out doctors’ phone lines and blocked access to patients’ medical portals. Both organizations are working with state, federal and cyber insurance investigators to solve these ransomware crimes.

How it Works

Ransomware works by attacking user files, encrypting them and essentially holding the information hostage in exchange for a payment, usually in the form of a crypto currency, which is extremely difficult to trace back to the cyber criminals. Attacks are exploding and costing businesses, municipalities and schools billions of dollars.

Experts note that these attacks are happening everywhere with increasing frequency and severity. And it’s not only schools and hospitals that are soft targets for criminals – it’s businesses as well.

IT Resource Shortage

Like the public sector, small and mid-sized businesses often do not have the necessary resources devoted to cyber security. Consequently, they are completely unprepared for a ransomware attack. Not only do they lack effective prevention, there is typically no plan for zero downtime or a process to recover quickly.

Even if a business has cyber insurance that will pay the ransom, there is no guarantee that access to all the files will be reinstated. And even with the best security tools, users can unwittingly download ransomware by opening an email attachment, clicking an advertisement or following a link. This means a multi-pronged approach is required to thwart these attacks, with employee training comprising a key element.

What to Do Next

Are your IT defenses strong enough to prevent your critical systems from being held hostage and data from being lost? DataLink provides full security assessments and is ready to deploy proven solutions and best practices to keep your business safe.

Contact us today.
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