Best Ransomware Protection Practices for Midsize Businesses
Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2025 9:01 am
Threats and Prevention of Ransomware Attacks
As ransomware attacks become more destructive and attackers demand higher ransoms, they are causing huge headaches for businesses. The people behind these attacks are constantly looking for any weakness in a company's system to gain access and make a lot of money. Once the bad guys use fake emails to implant harmful software into a company's computers and networks, these attacks don't stay in one place. They move around, and permissions for these attacks are sometimes sold to people who specialize in ransomware. Ransomware groups know that large companies are more willing to pay large sums of money to get their information back. But even governments are not safe; in 2021, they were hit by ransomware. These bad guys are getting more sophisticated. As more and more businesses use cloud email (which has its security issues), it is even more important to stop these bad guys from disrupting a company's data and information through email attacks.
Cybersecurity Challenges Facing Midsize Enterprises
Midsize businesses face unique cybersecurity challenges that can hinder their ability to protect against ransomware threats:
Small businesses often lack the necessary resources to invest albania phone number data in advanced cybersecurity solutions and cybersecurity personnel. However, even mid-sized businesses may not have the budget or staff required to adequately address this threat.
Employees are often unaware of how ransomware works and how to protect against it. This can lead to adversaries launching successful attacks against uninformed employees. This is particularly problematic if employees are unaware of normal activity on the network and mistakenly open malicious email attachments or links that they shouldn’t.
Midsize businesses may not have the resources to properly implement advanced endpoint protection solutions (EPP) at scale (i.e., on all devices), making it difficult to justify purchasing these solutions.
The main ways ransomware attacks spread
Despite advances in security and awareness, email remains the primary method of delivery for ransomware attacks in midsize businesses. Here are some important reasons why:
The main defense against ransomware is the same as for other cyber threats: prevention. To protect against ransomware, you need to know what to watch out for and stay up to date with the latest threats. Here are some steps to take:
EDR is an important part of your defense strategy because it helps you detect suspicious activity and provides visibility into your endpoints. It works by installing software on all endpoints, examining their activity, and raising alerts when something suspicious occurs. Security personnel can then investigate the signs after taking appropriate action if necessary.
Network segmentation is another key factor in preventing a successful ransomware attack. If a single system is infected, the malware can quickly spread throughout the network using shared folders or removable hard drives such as USBs. Dividing the network into different zones and restricting access between zones only when necessary limits this risk.
Threat intelligence integration is an important tool in the fight against cyberattacks in general, as it helps to stay up to date on new threats as they emerge so that appropriate action can be taken before they reach your systems.
SIEM solutions are designed to track and analyze network activity, looking for any unusual or suspicious activity that could indicate a security breach. SIEM systems allow you to quickly identify when an attack occurs, track its progression, and mitigate the damage before it's too late. In addition to providing valuable insight into potential threats, SIEM systems provide a centralized location for all security events for further analysis and investigation.
Backup solutions can help midsize businesses protect against ransomware by providing a copy of important data for recovery if an attack occurs. This allows them to recover from an attack without paying a ransom, often at a lower cost than paying a ransom and restoring systems from backup.
Midsize businesses should also consider investing in advanced firewalls and intrusion prevention systems (IPS). These tools can help prevent ransomware infections by blocking malicious files before they reach the network. This type of technology monitors user activity on devices, identifying any suspicious activity that could indicate an impending attack. For example, if someone logs into your network from an unfamiliar location or using an unknown device, you’ll be notified immediately so you can take action before it’s too late. These tools scan messages for spam content and phishing links before they reach their inboxes, so employees aren’t exposed to malicious links or attachments that could lead to infection.
As ransomware attacks become more destructive and attackers demand higher ransoms, they are causing huge headaches for businesses. The people behind these attacks are constantly looking for any weakness in a company's system to gain access and make a lot of money. Once the bad guys use fake emails to implant harmful software into a company's computers and networks, these attacks don't stay in one place. They move around, and permissions for these attacks are sometimes sold to people who specialize in ransomware. Ransomware groups know that large companies are more willing to pay large sums of money to get their information back. But even governments are not safe; in 2021, they were hit by ransomware. These bad guys are getting more sophisticated. As more and more businesses use cloud email (which has its security issues), it is even more important to stop these bad guys from disrupting a company's data and information through email attacks.
Cybersecurity Challenges Facing Midsize Enterprises
Midsize businesses face unique cybersecurity challenges that can hinder their ability to protect against ransomware threats:
Small businesses often lack the necessary resources to invest albania phone number data in advanced cybersecurity solutions and cybersecurity personnel. However, even mid-sized businesses may not have the budget or staff required to adequately address this threat.
Employees are often unaware of how ransomware works and how to protect against it. This can lead to adversaries launching successful attacks against uninformed employees. This is particularly problematic if employees are unaware of normal activity on the network and mistakenly open malicious email attachments or links that they shouldn’t.
Midsize businesses may not have the resources to properly implement advanced endpoint protection solutions (EPP) at scale (i.e., on all devices), making it difficult to justify purchasing these solutions.
The main ways ransomware attacks spread
Despite advances in security and awareness, email remains the primary method of delivery for ransomware attacks in midsize businesses. Here are some important reasons why:
The main defense against ransomware is the same as for other cyber threats: prevention. To protect against ransomware, you need to know what to watch out for and stay up to date with the latest threats. Here are some steps to take:
EDR is an important part of your defense strategy because it helps you detect suspicious activity and provides visibility into your endpoints. It works by installing software on all endpoints, examining their activity, and raising alerts when something suspicious occurs. Security personnel can then investigate the signs after taking appropriate action if necessary.
Network segmentation is another key factor in preventing a successful ransomware attack. If a single system is infected, the malware can quickly spread throughout the network using shared folders or removable hard drives such as USBs. Dividing the network into different zones and restricting access between zones only when necessary limits this risk.
Threat intelligence integration is an important tool in the fight against cyberattacks in general, as it helps to stay up to date on new threats as they emerge so that appropriate action can be taken before they reach your systems.
SIEM solutions are designed to track and analyze network activity, looking for any unusual or suspicious activity that could indicate a security breach. SIEM systems allow you to quickly identify when an attack occurs, track its progression, and mitigate the damage before it's too late. In addition to providing valuable insight into potential threats, SIEM systems provide a centralized location for all security events for further analysis and investigation.
Backup solutions can help midsize businesses protect against ransomware by providing a copy of important data for recovery if an attack occurs. This allows them to recover from an attack without paying a ransom, often at a lower cost than paying a ransom and restoring systems from backup.
Midsize businesses should also consider investing in advanced firewalls and intrusion prevention systems (IPS). These tools can help prevent ransomware infections by blocking malicious files before they reach the network. This type of technology monitors user activity on devices, identifying any suspicious activity that could indicate an impending attack. For example, if someone logs into your network from an unfamiliar location or using an unknown device, you’ll be notified immediately so you can take action before it’s too late. These tools scan messages for spam content and phishing links before they reach their inboxes, so employees aren’t exposed to malicious links or attachments that could lead to infection.