Ransomware Protection for Small Businesses
Ransomware does not need to be clever to work. It needs one unpatched computer, one reused password or one click. Protection means closing each of those doors and making sure a break-in is survivable.
How ransomware gets in
- A phishing email with a link or an attachment
- A stolen or guessed password on remote access or email
- Software, routers and firewalls that have not been updated
- Remote desktop left open to the internet
- A download that was not what it claimed to be
The layers we put in place
- Backups the attacker cannot reach: an off-site or offline copy that is not a mapped drive
- Updates: operating systems, browsers, applications and network equipment kept patched
- Two-step sign-in on email, cloud accounts and remote access
- Email filtering that removes most malicious messages before anyone sees them
- Endpoint security on every computer, centrally managed and watched
- No everyday admin rights: staff work in standard accounts
- Remote access locked down: no remote desktop exposed to the internet
- A network split into zones, so one infected computer cannot reach everything
- Staff who know what to look for, and whom to call
- A recovery plan that has been tested
Why backups are the layer that matters most
Every other layer lowers the odds. The backup decides the outcome. If there is a clean, recent copy the attacker could not touch, ransomware is an expensive day. If there is not, it can end a business. See backup and disaster recovery.
Where to start
With a security check. We go through the list on site and tell you which gaps matter most.
Questions
Would anyone target a business our size?
Yes. Most attacks are automated: they scan for a weakness, not for a name.
Is antivirus enough?
No. It is one layer. Most successful attacks get past it with a stolen password or an unpatched system.
We use a Mac office. Are we safe?
Safer, not safe. Stolen passwords and cloud accounts are the same risk on any computer.
What if it has already happened?
See ransomware response and recovery, and call (213) 986-4855.
Book a visit or a pickup
Call us or book online and tell us the make, the model and what is going wrong. For IT support a technician comes to your home or office. For a repair we pick the computer up from your door, fix it at our own workshop in Burbank and bring it back. We have no storefront, so there is nowhere to drop a machine off. Outside our area, you can mail it to us.