Make sure you have proper offsite file backups

Just today I was reminded why proper backups are so important. By “proper” backups I am not talking about just having RAID or copying files to removable media such as a thumb drive or external hard drive. I am talking about write once-read many, encrypted, snapshot/incremental offsite file backups that are logged and monitored.

The reason why the customer had been paying us to securely and automatically backup their critical business data became very clear. An otherwise well intentioned employee opened an email with the subject “Resume” which made perfect sense since they had a job opening. Within that email contained an attachment titled “Josh’s Resume.” Sounds reasonably legit. After the user was tricked into completing a few more steps their machine became infected with a variant of CryptoLocker. This was a brand new variant of CryptoLocker which circumvented many layers of security and tricked the user.
CryptoLocker type malware is one of the most destructive forms of malware. It encrypts all common user data files such as Word documents, Excel files, PDF files, pictures and even QuickBooks data files using high grade, unbreakable encryption. It then holds them for ransom, typically for dollar amounts ranging from $100 to $500. Payment to the cybercriminals rarely results in data being recovered but always results in the loss of money.

CryptoLocker doesn’t just stop at the infected computer. It reaches out over the network and encrypts any file it can reach from the infected computer. It also attacks backups on removable and network media.

True professional grade backups are write once, read many which means once the backup is written it cannot be modified. It’s equally important to have a backup system that creates snapshots of your data so that many different versions of each file from different times are available for restore. If a file becomes compromised days before the damage is noticed then access to previous versions will be needed in order to find a good copy.

Burning Diode has comprehensive professional grade off-site backup systems that are very secure, very reliable, constantly monitored and hassle free. Data recovery after the fact often costs thousands of dollars and isn’t guaranteed to get your files back. Pre-emptive total peace of mind from Burning Diode can cost as little as 16 cents per day. That’s less than the cost of a fancy cup of coffee per month.

Contact Burning Diode today to get your business protected!