New Orleans IT ServicesCall: (504) 849-0570
Don’t let your company fall victim to a data breach that shuts down your entire business. Contact BIOS Technologies today to learn to protect your business.
On November 18, 2019, a ransomware attack on the Louisiana state government and in December 2019, ransomware hit NOLA, forcing numerous official websites to shut down. The incident impacted:
State officials reported that the root cause was the RYUK ransomware, which demands money from infiltrated organizations. This was a known virus and this incident should have been preventable. How safe is your company and customer data from cyber terrorists? Ransomware recovery In New Orleans should be a priority if you want to avoid similar data breaches at your organization.
Governor John Bel Edwards tweeted that Louisiana’s cybersecurity team was spearheading efforts to unravel the ransomware attack and attempting to prevent it from happening again. RYUK ransomware, it turns out, tagged along when someone installed unauthorized software from the internet. Like many malware attacks, this one was caused by human error.
The number of computers impacted included 1600 devices and 132 servers. Although no personal data was compromised, that’s not always the case.
The impact was far-reaching, causing a number of state employees to cease working so that their computers could be assessed. Every workstation across the state required removal of the virus before offices could open again.
Ransomware attacks are usually preventable, including the one that happened to these state employees. Working with an IT service provider such as BIOS Technologies helps you assess the vulnerabilities in your system and adopt firewalls and tools that can detect and deflect threats.
Even if you have a small to midsize business in New Orleans, we can provide enterprise-level security solutions including antivirus software, firewalls, web filtering, encryption, and intrusion detection software.
Training employees is the best thing you can do to prevent successful ransomware attacks. Lax policies on business email compromise your sensitive data an open employees up to phishing scams that often include fake websites, links to malware and social-engineered email addresses the mimic leaders in your company.
During these scams, employees are sometimes tricked into wiring funds or providing access to sensitive data to hackers posing as company leaders. Proper training can protect employee’s personal information, such as W2 tax forms, from reaching the hands of cybercriminals.
Companies can take other steps to protect their systems too. BIOS Technologies can come to your New Orleans business to perform a security assessment. During this testing, email that simulate phishing attacks are sent to employees to gauge their reactions. This forms a baseline for targeted cybersecurity training.
Data backup and recovery plans are very important when it comes to recovering data compromised by hackers. Comprehensive disaster recovery and a business continuity plan ensure that your vital systems can be brought up and running in hours instead of days or weeks. By having a data recovery plan, you can avoid paying ransom to bad actors.
Don’t let your company be one human error away from a data breach that shuts down your entire business. Contact BIOS Technologies today to learn more about how we can protect your business with monitoring and proactive security planning.
BIOS Technologies’ mission is to deliver superior IT support to the SMB market in the New Orleans Metro Area. We focus on companies that understand the business/security risks of unmanaged technology and want to maximize efficiency and profitability.
December 19,2019
Blog