TECHNOLOGY TRENDS


backed up files just in case something slips through the cracks, it’s time to protect yourself against human error. Tat’s where you and your employees come into play. Te best prevention practice starts with educating your entire organization. Te usual suspects commonly consist of: the email from the CEO of your company asking for an urgent wire transfer; an unexpected invoice from a common vendor, such as FedEx; the Microsoft Office 365 alert — that didn’t originate from your IT department — announcing that your account may have been compromised. If you receive or see anything that gives you even an inkling of suspicion, do not proceed. Opening unknown objects is the primary entry point for ransomware.


Maintaining Strong Passwords Other personal ways to protect


yourself include using strong passwords and changing them every so often. You should never use one password for everything. Popular tools such as KeePass, LastPass and Dashlane offer complex password generation tools that will aid in keeping login credentials strong and separate, yet easily retrievable. Also, avoid using open, public Wi-fi (read: free), and utilize privacy settings on social media to prevent other users from gaining personal information. Tough you’ve taken prevention


steps, there may still come a day when you log in to find you’ve been locked out by hackers, your files completely encrypted, and a message looms: Pay $4,000 in 48 hours to unlock your files, or they will be deleted. Now what? You will not find many experts in


the cybersecurity or law enforcement field that recommend paying the ransom. Of course, that’s easier said than done. You need those files. Tey’re personal, they’re private, and your company relies on them. Without them, the company cannot function and work comes to a halt. Te delay costs accumulate and could end up totaling more than the ransom. So why not just pay it and move on? Because it’s just too risky. Once you pay, the attackers know you’re good for it and


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nothing stops them from coming back and encrypting your files again, for an even bigger payoff. Or worse, they could take the money and leave your files encrypted anyway. So, it’s worth repeating: do not pay the ransom.


After a Ransomware Attack Assuming you have heeded


expert advice and decided not to pay the ransom, the first logical step is remediation. A common characteristic of a ransomware attack in a business environment is the proliferation of the infection across shared network files and folders, using the infected user’s credentials to seek out all available vectors. It is pertinent that you quickly identify the compromised systems and shut them down. Next is the resto- ration phase. If you took prevention seriously and backed up all your files, then you should not need to pay the ransom to unlock your files because you already have valid and verified backups. In the worst-case scenario that you did not take preventative


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measures and are hit with ransomware, your best course of action is to consult with your internal IT department or a professional to see if specific decryption utilities are available for the specific ransomware variant. Te world’s technology continues


to advance, and what hackers can do these days can illicit fear among the most seasoned technology profes- sionals. All evidence suggests that the frequency and evolving sophistication are on the rise, and the ability to easily and anonymously extort money from vulnerable organizations have made hacker’s motivations obvious. But it’s also preventable in many cases. Never- theless, the best strategy is a solid prevention and response plan. Te directive is imperative: organizations large or small can no longer put off security as a top priority.


Joe Lish is Director, Technology & Communications, AGC of California. He can be reached at (916) 371-2422 or lishj@agc-ca.org.


In 48 hours, safely deliver Space Shuttle Endeavor from LAX to its new home, the California Science Center.


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