What is ransomware prevention?
Ransomware prevention is a continuous process involving the development and deployment of effective techniques to stop ransomware from entering a network. It includes implementing strategic security policies and practices to ensure that all network devices, endpoints, applications, file servers, and databases are reinforced against any kind of infiltration. With a recent report estimating that a ransomware attack will occur every two seconds by the year 2031, a proactive prevention strategy should be an essential component of your organization's cybersecurity preparedness.
How to prevent ransomware attacks
Here is your ransomware prevention checklist to save your business from a ransomware attack:
1. Know your attack surface
Reconnaissance is the first stage of a ransomware attack, during which threat actors research and scan your network to identify weak links and security gaps. Therefore, it is crucial that you understand your network better than the attackers do.
Conduct periodic risk assessments and vulnerability scans to evaluate your network for known threats and vulnerabilities. Identify critical systems, servers, and files that are likely targets for ransomware and secure them. Additionally, carry out regular audits to ensure optimal system health and network hygiene.
2. Secure your network perimeter
Ransomware actors primarily scan your network perimeter to identify vulnerable entry points. Misconfigured ports and firewalls can expose your network to the internet, making them susceptible to exploitation by attackers seeking initial access.
To reinforce your network perimeter, review port settings, block open ports, and update security configurations in your firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and intrusion prevention systems.
3. Update and patch all systems and software
Unpatched systems and outdated applications with known vulnerabilities are the primary vectors of ransomware. They help attackers gain a foothold in the network when left undetected and unpatched for a long time.
Upgrade all your network devices, software, and applications to their latest versions to prevent the persistence of malware in the network. Also, identify and remove or replace any legacy operating systems, software, or devices that are no longer supported or updated. When configuring new devices or applications, ensure that their default settings, passwords, and permissions are changed according to your security policies.
4. Enhance your email security
Phishing is the most prevalent method of initial compromise used by ransomware actors. Through malicious URLs and attachments that appear legitimate, attackers lure users into downloading and executing malware files. Therefore, it is imperative to verify email senders using email filtering and spam blocking tools to prevent suspicious emails from reaching your inbox.
Employ email sandboxing to scan email contents, quarantine messages with suspicious URLs, and execute attachments in an isolated system to ensure they are safe. Educate users on the importance of email security and train them to stay vigilant against phishing attempts.
5. Protect user accounts
Ransomware actors compromise user accounts through techniques such as phishing, spoofing, brute force, and credential stuffing. Once the accounts are compromised, attackers spread malware across the network by escalating privileges and moving laterally.
Therefore, implementing multi-factor authentication (MFA) across all endpoints and applications is crucial for combating account compromise and mitigating brute-force attacks. Additionally, you should enforce strict password policies, including periodic password changes; the use of strong, unique passwords; and the prevention of generic or used passwords.
6. Strengthen your endpoint security
As businesses expand, they must accommodate numerous on-premises and remote endpoints and devices. The increasing number of devices can place a strain on security solutions, creating multiple security gaps and making it easier for ransomware to evade detection.
Implement a log management system or a security information and event management (SIEM) solution that can handle and monitor various endpoints and applications. SIEM solutions provide centralized security management and complete visibility across all endpoints in the network.
7. Ensure application security
Internet-facing applications, when accessed via remote or unsecured networks, are vulnerable to interception by ransomware actors seeking initial access. Additionally, the use of unsecured shadow IT applications introduces potential risks of data loss and theft.
Employ a cloud access security broker (CASB), which helps ensure application security by blocklisting malicious websites and applications and restricting shadow IT usage. It also lets you allowlist essential applications and restrict access to approved applications when they are accessed via unsecured networks.
10 best practices to prevent a ransomware attack
- Train employees on the impact of ransomware and how to identify phishing emails, anomalous processes, and malicious executables.
- Regularly patch and update endpoints and network devices and continuously audit them for vulnerabilities.
- Ensure that system settings and security configurations are updated regularly.
- Employ ML-based anomaly detection software to track behavioral deviations among users and entities.
- Implement a SIEM solution to gain comprehensive visibility across the entire network.
- Monitor changes to sensitive files and folders with a file integrity monitoring solution.
- Back up files containing sensitive data and protect both the original files and their backups using data encryption techniques.
- Scan and test third-party tools in a controlled environment before deploying them in your network.
- Implement MFA for all user accounts and enforce strong password policies.
- Conduct periodic audits to ensure adherence to compliance mandates that enforce data security.
Benefits of ransomware prevention
Ransomware prevention is a strategic process that involves implementing robust techniques to thwart ransomware attacks at their initial points of access. Having prevention mechanisms in place impacts the following areas:
- Data protection and compliance: Prevention techniques safeguard sensitive files and folders from unauthorized access and modifications, thereby ensuring data protection and compliance with data security mandates.
- Financial risks: Preventing a ransomware attack eliminates the risk of financial losses related to ransom payments, legal penalties, and business disruptions.
- Goodwill and reputation: Proactive ransomware prevention demonstrates vigilant cybersecurity practices, thereby improving your organization's reputation and the goodwill of stakeholders.
Related solutions
ManageEngine Log360 is a comprehensive SIEM solution with advanced file integrity monitoring and data loss prevention capabilities. Log360 stands out as one of the best ransomware protection solutions, offering the following features:
- Ransomware detection: Predefined correlation rules and alert profiles for ransomware detection help you identify potential ransomware activities in real time.
- Ransomware incident response: The ransomware detection alert profiles include built-in incident response workflows that, when enabled, prevent the propagation of ransomware attacks.
- User and entity behavior analytics: With its ML-based behavior monitoring capabilities, Log360 detects anomalous activities in the network to identify potential signs of a ransomware attack.
- File monitoring: Log360's file integrity monitoring helps you monitor for unauthorized file access attempts, creations, deletions, and modifications to protect sensitive data from ransomware.
- Cloud app security: Log360's CASB capabilities blocklist suspicious websites and ban malicious applications to secure sensitive cloud data from ransomware threats.
- 360-degree network visibility: Log360 provides complete visibility into the network through out-of-the-box audit reports and interactive dashboards on a single console.
To explore more, sign up for a personalized demo of Log360. Or, you can discover on your own with a fully functional, 30-day, free trial software download.
