Can you believe that we just wrapped up our ninth week of presenting Tech Talk on The Big 550 KTRS? Neither can we! Last week our IT expert, Rion Kolosieke joined Guy Phillips to discuss ransomware and the different ways businesses can try and combat cyber criminals. So, what is this ransomware stuff? We've got the answers!
The main goal in a ransomware attack is a lot like any other ransom related crime. The bad guys hold something of value hostage, and don't give it back until you've paid up. In this case, cyber criminals hold important files and data hostage until the victim pays the ransom, but even then, there is no guarantee of the safe return of what was taken.
An extremely common way to fall victim to a ransomware attack is through spoofed emails. Email is a common avenue for cyber criminals to segue into your life and wreak havoc. These emails are becoming more and more sophisticated and difficult to differentiate from reality. Being critical and practicing strong email safety is a great way to try and protect yourself or your employees from clicking on a dangerous link.
It has been suggested that victims don't pay the cyber criminals for the return of the files. However, close to 20% do end up paying the ransom. Historically, these ransoms have ranged anywhere in price from $50-500,000! Rion explained that these attacks don't only target big businesses. Criminals are also after smaller businesses and even the St. Louis Public Library just last year!
There is no way to stay 100% safe from a ransomware attack, but as we've mentioned, one of the best ways to stay protected is through education. At SumnerOne, not only do we offer Managed IT Services to help keep your business secure, we also offer seminars to help educate your employees. End user education is important, and we want our customers to become critical consumers. Interested in learning more about how we help our customers to stay protected from cyber attacks? Contact us. Our experts at SumnerOne are ready to help.
We hope you enjoyed this weeks Tech Talk presented by SumnerOne recap. Be sure to tune in this Friday afternoon at 4:20 to KTRS (550AM) or listen online. The topic this week will be over backup and disaster recovery. For more updates about what has been going on with Tech Talk, click below for more updates.
Originally published May 17, 2018, updated February 11, 2019