What Is Ransomware?
Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts the files of its victims. To regain access to the data, the attacker demands a ransom from the victim. We’ve mentioned it before and will say it again, what is your system disaster plan? Do you know what to do in the event of a ransomware attack? Do you have the right type of backup? Is your critical medical data safe and protected from criminals? These are some of the questions you need to ask yourself today, not tomorrow. Major medical institutions in Ontario, in years past, had major ransomware outages. A malicious software malware called “Ryuk”, which appeared back in 2018, caused major issues across the province. These types of malware and ransomware attacks are increasing; they are not going away, so the time to act is now.
TTC Targetted By Ransomware
Even today major companies, utilities and institutions are not safe. Who can forget when Colonial Pipeline went offline due to ransomware. The Colonial Pipelineis in charge of transferring gas to the populated East Coast, transporting over 100 million gallons of fuel every day. Well it’s happened again, to a company we all know in the Greater Toronto Region. As we learned yesterday, even the TTC is not safe from ransomware. The Toronto Transit Commission are looking into a ransomware attack that disrupted some of its systems and services.
Get Prepared For Disaster Recovery
Stopping ransomware before it spreads requires the use of effective approaches and technology. Survival requires you to be prepared before the attack. Cybercrime and ransomware attacks are on the rise. It can hold your entire network “ransom”, costing you more than just your files. Also, if you pay, there is no guarantee your computer or files will be released; opening you up to continued ransomware attacks. It is costly, invasive, and a detrimental violation of your privacy, and the confidentiality of your patient’s records.
Part of protecting yourself is to ensure you have working backup devices and disaster recovery tools; in the event you have to restore and get your medical clinic back up and running. If you are a client and have any questions about your backup, or ransomware preparedness, please give us a call. If you are not a client, start asking questions and get prepared. Don’t be a victim! Educate yourself and learn how to protect your data from legal liabilities. A ransomware attack may be inconvenient, but what is your reputation worth to you?
