SecureData Gives You Options Against Ransomware
Ransomware poses one of the greatest threats to government agencies, organizations, and businesses globally. It weaponizes the sensitive personal or proprietary information that these entities regularly store and leverages it for the purposes of extortion. Information is a company’s most valuable asset, and protecting it requires careful preparation and constant vigilance.
The U.S. government’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) has given specific guidelines for protection against ransomware attacks. Among its key recommendations are the use of offline encrypted backups and hardware-encrypted portable storage devices.
For more than a decade, SecureData has driven innovation in FIPS 140-2 Level 3 hardware-encrypted storage. Our award-winning line of SecureDrive® BT and SecureDrive® KP drives gives your data the highest level of protection against unauthorized access.
SecureDrive’s BT line when combined with our Remote Management Console gives you a complete solution to managed security. The Remote Management Console allows IT administrators to control who, when and where your data is accessed.
Additionally, when it comes to protecting the most sensitive regulated or proprietary information, you need a comprehensive plan that also addresses endpoint security. That’s why SecureData developed SecureGuard® USB (by ClevX®). Accessed within our Remote Management (RM) Console, SecureGuard® prevents the spread of malware by limiting computer access to only authorized USB devices.
SecureDrives® Keep Backups Offline and Encrypted
Why offline encrypted backups? Ransomware attacks have not only increased in frequency but also in sophistication. Some ransomware can now target backup systems connected to a compromised network. These backups become encrypted just like the rest of an organization’s data, effectively crippling the ability to recover efficiently from an attack.
Using SecureDrive® hardware-encrypted devices for offline backups gives you key advantages in a ransomware attack. Offline encrypted backups put your data beyond the reach of ransomware. They also give you a reliable version of your data that can be used for quick recovery from an attack. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, they eliminate the need for paying any ransom at all.
SecureDrives® Give You Managed and Unmanaged Control of Your Data
SecureDrive® BT and SecureUSB® BT feature dual authentication via a secure wireless mobile app and Bluetooth connection, as well as a unique drive PIN. In addition to all the features of SecureDrive® KP devices, BT devices have managed control features that give IT administrators total control over where and when devices can be accessed.
Our Remote Management (RM) License can be added to an unlimited number of SecureDrive® BT devices at any time and offers geo- and time-fencing, remote wipe and forced password reset, and user logging. The RM console gives administrators total control over the enforcement of data handling policies. It also provides unparalleled security when an external drive is stolen or lost.
In addition to the highest FIPS validation in the industry, our award-winning SecureDrive® devices give you the flexibility of choosing the level of control that best fits your data security plan. SecureDrive® KP and SecureUSB® KP hard disk and flash drives authenticate users via an onboard alpha-numeric keypad and a PIN of up to 15 digits.
And all SecureDrive® devices come equipped with one year of free DriveSecurity® (by ClevX) antivirus protection. DriveSecurity® requires no host installation and automatically scans for and removes malware. It’s self-learning and detects threats even without an internet connection. DriveSecurity® detects malware threats before they can spread from external devices to networked computers.
Managing Endpoint Security with SecureGuard USB
Ransomware can easily spread across computer networks when an infected USB drive is connected. With SecureGuard USB, administrators can limit the use of external drives only to those that have been authorized. Any device not whitelisted for use will disable the computer it is plugged into until the device is removed. SecureGuard USB works within the Remote Management Console to give even greater control of sensitive data and endpoint security.
Ransomware attacks are common, but they aren’t inevitable. Call us at 424-363-8535 to discuss how our comprehensive data security solutions can help keep you safe from ransomware attacks.
Case Study
As ransomware groups discover just how lucrative attacks on major corporations can be, they are much more likely to entertain bolder methods of penetrating cybersecurity protocols. Such was the case for one prospective ransomware attacker who set his sights on Elon Musk.
In August 2020, a Russian national named Egor Kriuchkov approached a former associate and fellow Russian speaker employed at Tesla’s battery manufacturing plant outside Sparks, Nevada. He offered $500,000 to the employee in return for installing malware on the company’s network.
The employee informed Tesla of the offer, and the company then contacted the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Kriuchkov was later arrested in Los Angeles while trying to flee the country after investigators monitored his ongoing negotiations with the Tesla employee.
Ransomware has become an increasingly profitable business for criminal gangs, many of whom pattern their operations on legitimate business models. They offer everything from real-time chat support to corporate responsibility pledges, all to increase the likelihood that victims will pay whatever ransom they demand.
The targeting of Tesla’s “gigafactory” in Nevada illustrates just how far ransomware groups are now willing and able to go. Brett Callow, a security analyst at Emsisoft, put it this way: “This is what happens when you hand billions to ransomware groups. If they can’t access a network via their usual methods, they can afford to simply buy their way in. Or try to. Tesla got lucky.”