What is cloud ransomware?
In the ever-growing digital landscape we operate within, cyberattacks are very much present, with ransomware as one of the biggest threats to businesses and individuals to date.
As these attacks grow in sophistication, identifying vulnerabilities in your systems before hackers do, has become essential.
Many businesses made the shift to cloud-based services during COVID-19 when the majority of workforces took to working from home, allowing companies to be more flexible and mobile and encouraging and improving collaborations online.
However, cybercriminals also took notice of this shift, and we soon began to see new strains of ransomware specifically targeting cloud operations. Making devices unusable, encrypting files, and only releasing these once a ransom has been paid.
For security teams everywhere now, protecting against ransomware in the cloud is a team effort that requires a layered approach with multiple solutions.
(Make sure to check out our page on cloud firewalls, features, benefits, and how we can help.)
Cloud Storage Ransomware
Cloud Ransomware is where cyber criminals access your accounts and network, installing ransomware applications that will start to encrypt cloud data. To release this encryption, they will then demand a ransom or threaten to expose the victim if they refuse.
There are three main types of cloud ransomware attacks:
First, ransomware infects file-sharing services – in this instance, the file-sharing service that all employees can access is infected with a malicious program that goes on to encrypt files stored on users' machines.
Secondly, ransom cloud attacks – affecting email services such as Office 365, phishing techniques are used to gain access to a user's email, encrypting these and then demanding a ransom.
Finally, ransomware targeting cloud suppliers – cloud suppliers become the target with the ransomware installed across all programmes. This is the most damaging of cyber-attacks as the entire cloud platform could be compromised in these situations.
With more businesses moving their digital infrastructure from hybrid to cloud operations, your security teams must be aware and stay updated with developments surrounding cloud ransomware attacks.
Fortunately, support and guidelines are available to further help businesses in this area. These guidelines look at ways to protect cloud operations, not too dissimilar to traditional on-site security network infrastructures – with the same aim – to protect against malicious ransomware.
But what is cloud ransomware, and how can you protect against it?
Ransomware attacks can happen if, for example, access cards are stolen, and attackers then use employees' workstations to access cloud services and steal/encrypt valuable and sensitive data and information.
If there is an unknown vulnerability in your system/network, a hacker will be able to find a way in and leave a programme to run in the background that will plant the ransomware.
Or if an email from an unknown sender is accidentally opened or a malicious link is clicked on etc.
All of these and more lead cyber-criminals directly into your network.
To combat this, there are several solutions to incorporate:
You can't protect what you can't see – you need complete control and visibility. You must identify all of your systems, users, data, applications, and more within your cloud network.
Restrict access, providing individuals and teams only with the access they need. Look to set time restrictions and even restrict specific resources.
Ensure all firewalls are correctly configured, controlled, managed, and maintained, with systems in place to provide you with an alert when something isn't right.
Speed up incident response times with provider alerts, monitoring feeds and allowing alerts to be directed to the appropriate team for immediate investigation or response.
Implement just-in-time authorisation and real-time monitoring, allowing you to identify and respond to any suspicious activity in real time.
Educate staff teams – carrying out regular security training gives all employees the knowledge and insight into how to spot a fake email, an unauthorised attachment, and more.
Backup your data – we always advise that you take regular backups and ideally store these in a separate location from your main network servers.
Install updates – you should always have the latest updates and patches installed, avoiding and fixing any vulnerabilities in your system.
Look to incorporate PCI-compliant firewalls if you have payment options for customers – check out our article on this area of firewalls and what it means for your business.
SonicWall firewall support
All businesses want to put preventative measures in place to stop, remove, and recover from a cyber-attack. And as a business, you are responsible for all the data you collect and store.
This means you are responsible for managing the security of this data and information.
However, you need to find a solution that comprehensively views your network security and configuration. Ideally, a solution that will integrate seamlessly into your current systems, adding to your layered approach to security – solutions like SonicWall firewalls.
SonicWall firewall features provide peace of mind that malicious attacks are stopped in their tracks, as well as assurance that patches are put in place to block ransomware attempts and remove them from your networks and systems completely.
Ask for a demo today.
Call 0330 1340 230 or email enquiries@sonicwall-sales.com.
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