Safety Measures: Learning From The Atlanta Ransomware Attack

The Atlanta ransomware attack that occurred in March 2018 has prompted discussions between IT professional and cybersecurity experts based in the U.S. and U.K. The agenda was how to detect and prevent future attacks.

Image source: tripwire.com

Upon further investigation, it was deemed that the IT group in Atlanta took weeks before updating their systems with patches provided by Microsoft. This just shows how important it is to follow basic safety measures. 

Here are some more reminders for the public to minimize the damage caused by ransomware.

• Backup all critical data regularly. Many ransomware hackers have no use for the data they encrypt, which means data backups render ransomware useless for hackers.
• As soon as they become available, install security patches for operating systems and any other devices, and install updates whenever you are notified. Patches and updates fortify any vulnerabilities in the system.
• Anti-virus and anti-malware programs should be installed on all devices and operating systems.
• Administrators should have contingencies in case hackers successfully deliver the ransomware. These contingency plans should allow the continued operation of government services while IT experts find a way to deal with the attack.
• Hacking tests should be conducted on government systems on a regular basis. This identifies holes in the system, which should either be patched up or removed entirely from data servers. 

Image source: bankinfosecurity.com

Richard Blech is the CEO of Secure Channels, a company conceiving solutions designed to be customizable to its clients’ environment without compromising the level of protection it provides and reducing maintenance costs. For more tips on cybersecurity, visit this blog.