Ransomware Recovery In New Orleans

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:

The Department of Health
Department of Transportation and Development
79 Motor Vehicle locations

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.

What Were the State’s Recovery Efforts?

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.

What Was the Impact of This Attack?

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.

How Can You Prevent a Ransomware Attack from Shutting Down Your New Orleans Business?

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.

What Training and Prevention Services Enhance Cybersecurity?

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.