Fighting Ransomware: Call the Best IT Services in Plymouth, Other Tips
Ransomware came to everyone’s attention in 2005 and it has wreaked havoc in the cyber world ever since. Its ultimate goal has always been to generate money from its victims. Ransomware victims have now been estimated to have paid a ransom worth $11.5 billion. But you don’t have to figure out how to fight off a ransomware attack on your own when you can get help from the best IT services in Plymouth.
It helps if you know what to do in case of a ransomware attack to be of better assistance to the best IT support companies. Here are the important steps that you need to do if you suspect this cyberattack.
Find the Source of the Infection
If you ask the top IT service providers, they will tell you that most malware gets into your network or system through a malicious email attachment or link. The malware might be contained within the affected device alone, but if your network is vulnerable with an outdated anti-malware program, everything that’s connected to it might be infected, too.
You must locate the infected machine first. This is what the provider of the best IT services in Plymouth will likely do, too. The sooner you find it, the faster you can work to contain it.
Unplug the Affected Machine
Ransomware often targets an entire network, but the quicker you spot it, the faster you can stop it from infecting more machines. The provider of the best IT services in Plymouth will tell everyone to unplug their computers and other devices from the network. If you have remote employees who are connected to your network, tell them to do the same, too.
If you’re working with the best IT support companies, they will likely have a plan for this kind of situation. You can entrust the rest of the process to them. But if you don’t, it would be best to hire the top IT service providers in Plymouth and let them resolve the problem instead of doing it yourself and putting the entire business at risk.
Notify the IT Team
Tell both your in-house IT team and the provider of the best IT services in Plymouth about your ransomware problem. The IT professionals will likely ask for your help in developing a timeline of the attack to investigate what made your system vulnerable and prevent the same attack from happening again in the future.
Inform the Authorities
Aside from telling the best IT support companies about the cyberattack, you have to notify the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) within 72 hours of the attack if you’re handling data relevant to European Union citizens. If you try to cover up the breach and fail to notify the authorities, you may have to pay fines that could be as high as 4 percent of your annual turnover from global sales or 20 million euros.
Notify Your Employees and Clients
Instead of hiding everything related to a cyberattack, you have to be upfront and transparent about it. Even if you get the help of the best IT services in Plymouth and the breach might be resolved soon enough, you still need to tell your staff about the attack so they can help you deal with the outcome.
It’s also essential to tell your customers about how their data might be compromised after the malware attack. But you need to be certain about the details of the threat first before releasing a statement. The top IT service providers will tell you to try to put out a statement at the earliest time possible instead of letting the media break the terrible news to your customers.
Invest in Stronger Security Systems
After the ransomware attack, get the help of the best IT support companies to boost your security systems. Update, patch, invest in the latest programs, and repeat the process. This is not an instant solution to the vulnerabilities of your system, though, and it can cost you time, money, and effort.
Don’t Panic or Pay the Ransom
Despite the visible signs of a ransomware attack staring back at you, don’t panic. You can stay calm too if you have the best IT services in Plymouth. It won’t help if you keep making one impulsive decision after another.
Another big don’t is to pay the ransom. However, a third of the companies surveyed in a study said that they find it more cost-effective to give the ransom than to run a proper cybersecurity system. However, this mentality has given way to a cycle of businesses paying off the ransom, encouraging more hackers to do the same.
The top IT service providers such as Network Medics won’t advise you to do this. They will tell you to boost your cybersecurity measures instead, like what they’ve been doing for their clients since 2008. Network Medics is also one of the best IT support companies offering anti-malware and antivirus protection, network security management, onsite support, Office 365 migration, cloud hosting, and more. If you don’t want to fall victim to ransomware by hiring the best IT services in Plymouth, call Network Medics for an appointment today!
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