Every day, we learn about another large enterprise or city government crippled by a cyberattack. Local IT managers have sat back for years and watched these high-profile events happen virtually everywhere else. Small and mid-size businesses (SMB) in North Texas have generally felt immune to these types of attacks. They assume that smaller operational footprints meant they were not worth the effort for international criminal organizations. This misguided sense of security is over. Attackers are specifically targeting businesses that do not have enterprise-grade protection technologies in place.

SMB’s in Dallas are getting hit hard by ransomware attacks.

It’s an unfortunate reality that organizations in every industry sector throughout North Texas are falling victim to ransomware attacks. Hackers are not spending weeks or months attempting to gain access to the perimeters of Fortune 500 companies. Automated tooling allows criminals to compromise dozens of small businesses every hour of the day. Now is the time to educate yourself on the shift in tactics and begin architecting a security infrastructure that safeguards your operational continuity.

Why Are Ransomware Attacks Targeting Small and Mid-Size Businesses?

Modern hackers are targeting SMB’s because they can.

Cybercriminals spend billions of dollars a year automating the discovery of weaker digital perimeters that house organizations holding valuable information. Small and mid-size businesses make perfect targets due to limited IT resources and easy-to-find security vulnerabilities.

The economics of digital extortion have changed. 

Digital extortion is a billion-dollar industry that continues to grow every year. Hacker groups have organized into well-funded corporate structures with support help desks, customer service teams, software development staff, and marketing budgets. To keep profit margins high, these groups use scripting bots that crawl the internet searching for vulnerable infrastructure. Scripts are programmed to identify open remote desktop ports, unpatched software, and leaked employee passwords.

When these bots discover a vulnerable organization, it does not matter if they infiltrate Adobe or your local logistics company. What matters to the attackers is that they know where to host malicious code that will securely connect them to your local network. With access to your network, they will encrypt your databases and demand a ransom payment that they know your business can afford to pay. Since hackers can earn more money attacking small and mid-size businesses every minute of the day, they do.

Inside the Shift From Enterprise Attack Toward Small Business Targets

Do not underestimate the value of your corporate data.

Smaller organizations are also attractive targets for attack because they serve as entry points to larger supply chains. Odds are your SMB’s connect to other larger corporate partners. Once inside your perimeter, attackers will use your network credentials to see if they can pivot to other networks. If there is a chance they can reach an enterprise from your small business, they will try.

How Does the Anatomy of a Modern Extortion Campaign Unfold?

Cybersecurity experts have begun breaking down advanced attacks into tactical stages. The anatomy of a modern attack can be broken down into several distinct phases, including initial compromise, lateral movement, data exfiltration, encryption, and extortion.

Knowing how hackers infiltrate networks is the first step toward proper prevention and preparation.

Attackers typically gain access to a network through phishing emails or outdated software patches. Once inside the network, they quietly explore the environment, searching for places to steal data and install additional tools. They will look for local servers, accounting records, customer databases, and back up storage. If they discover internal backups, the extortion demands will be significantly higher.

After securing a foothold, criminals will spend days or weeks quietly gathering company data. Once they have what they want, they will initiate the encryption sequence and demand payment. Now not only do you have to pay to regain control of your network, but you also must pay not to have your customers’ Social Security numbers and bank accounts published on hacker forums.

What Security Defenses Form the Foundation of Modern Corporate Protection?

Think of Defense Layering as stacking cups; each cup represents a layer of protection. Having multiple layers of protection such as a managed firewall, endpoint protection, and an immutable offsite backup allows businesses to stop threats at the perimeter, isolate infections in real time, and recover critical assets with no downtime.

Having layered defenses that cover your network edge, interior systems, and data backups allows your organization to respond to and recover from attacks without paying ransom.

Now, let’s break down what we mean by modern cybersecurity and look at the operational definitions for each of its layers.

Operational Definitions for Enterprise Security Architecture

System Layer | Primary Function | How Does It Impact Operations

• Perimeter Defense: Blocks inbound/outbound traffic that does not conform to policy rules. Prevents unauthorized access and the ability for criminal hosts to talk to internal networks.
• Endpoint Security: Analyzes device behavior and blocks executables from running. Stops infections from spreading across the network by isolating infected devices.
• Immutable Offsite Backup: An independent copy of corporate records stored outside of the local network. Allows businesses to restore from a clean copy of data should all other defenses fail.

Your Managed Firewall is the Digital Border Guard For Your Network

What is a perimeter defense and why should you care? A managed firewall acts as a strict filter for all internet bound data allowing corporations to block incoming scans and prevent employees’ devices from connecting to command-and-control networks.

The first step to securing your network is to protect the perimeter.

A majority of cyber-attacks start with an attacker scanning your network in search of insecure ports. If your organization does not have a dedicated perimeter defense, hackers can identify unprotected networks before your IT team even knows they are being targeted. A managed firewall also protects your network from the inside out. Each computer and device on your network should not be allowed to access the internet without passing through your firewall. This allows your IT department to block entire regions from communicating with your network and monitor all employee web activity.

Why Are Managed Firewalls Essential for Network Perimeter Control?

The idea of a managed firewall can be confusing to some.  A managed firewall provides granular visibility into your inbound and outbound network traffic. A professionally managed firewall continuously monitors connections and has a team behind it to block scans and patch device vulnerabilities.

Simply purchasing a firewall appliance does not mean your network is secure.

All too often, we see business leaders purchase a network security appliance and leave it in the default configuration. If your organization is doing this, you’re not building a layered defense. It is important to understand that each security layer requires active management to be effective over time. A managed firewall is no different. 

Your firewall should be properly tuned to limit access only to those vendors that absolutely need it. All internet-facing systems should have their patches updated on a regular basis to reduce the risk of an attacker gaining a foothold. Lastly, having professionals analyze log files helps identify attackers who are early in the discovery process.

Inbound traffic is just as important to control. Not only should your firewall be inspecting inbound internet traffic, but it should also inspect what files are trying to access the internet from inside your network. If a user downloads a malicious file it will usually attempt to connect back to the attacker’s server to download malware. If your network can identify and stop these requests at the perimeter, your devices will remain safe.

Your Firewall Can Help Secure Your Remote Workers Too

Did you know that Intelinet offers professional VPN hosting?

Enabling remote access to your network creates additional risk if not configured properly. A professional perimeter defense will also provide your organization with secure virtual private network hosting. Remote users will be able to connect to your local network through a secure intake point without exposing your infrastructure to the public internet. This drastically reduces the risk of vulnerable services being exploited by malicious hackers.

How Does Advanced Endpoint Protection Contain Local Network Threats?

Endpoint security protects users where they spend most of their time: working on laptops.  

While the firewall is an important first step to securing your network, Endpoint protection is essential to stopping attacks that make it inside your perimeter. Also known as endpoint detection and response (EDR), these tools focus on device behavior to stop threats in real time.

Endpoint security got its name because it polices each endpoint on your network.

Whether that be a server in your data center or a laptop sitting at an employee’s desk. As attackers start to focus more on small and mid-size businesses, we believe having multiple layers inside your network is paramount to protecting your organization. Advanced endpoint security protects users where they spend most of their time, working on their laptops.

How Advanced Endpoint Security Protects Users Working On Laptops

With so many cyberattacks starting on laptops, it should come as no surprise that advanced endpoint protection is software installed on each device. This software is constantly monitoring and analyzing behavior on each device to stop attacks in real-time. Let’s take a look at some ways Advanced Endpoint Protection protects your laptops.

Windows OS & Signature Based Antivirus are no longer enough. As mentioned previously, attackers have found a way to alter their code every time they infect a new target. This is known as polymorphic code. Antivirus software is only as good as its last update. Once the signature is changed, traditional antivirus becomes useless.

A graph showcasing how fast attackers can change code.

Behavioral Analysis to the Rescue!

Endpoint security protects users by taking a look at what the code is doing rather than what it looks like. All programs have a set of actions they are allowed to do. If a malicious program suddenly tries to modify system registries or encrypt local user files, the security software will flag this as abnormal behavior and stop the process immediately.

Stop attacks in their tracks by isolating infected devices. Once the attack is stopped, the software will isolate that device from rest of the network. This isolation is important because it prevents the infection from spreading across your network. It also allows your IT department to remotely investigate and remediate the issue safely.

Can an Offsite Backup Guarantee Complete Business Continuity?

Data backups are a crucial last step to your overall protection plan. Network hardware and local storage devices live inside your network. This makes them accessible to hackers who have already spent weeks gaining access. With an immutable offsite backup, cyber criminals have no leverage because you can restore everything from a clean cloud-hosted copy.

Offsite backups are literally just that… off-site! 

Also known as a cloud backup, these solutions allow you to store a logical copy of your business data off-premises. Not only does this provide great redundancy for your organization, but it also allows you to have a backup that hackers can’t access. Most ransomware software is programmed to identify and delete all local backups of corporate data. If your backups are only on-premises, hackers win!

Restore Your Organization’s Critical Assets with Zero Downtime

Understanding your recovery time objective (RTO) is critical for every IT manager. How long can you afford to be down? Depending on the industry you work in, that can range from hours to a few days. The worst place to learn about your RTO is after you have been attacked. By having a solid plan for recovery that includes secure offsite backups, your IT department can restore critical assets while your business continues to operate normally.

Stop paying ransoms and build your Disaster Recovery Plan today.

How Prepared Is Your Local Infrastructure Against Modern Cybersecurity Threats?

• Does your network have real-time automatic patching for network appliances?
• Is administrative access to your network restricted behind multi-factor authentication?
• Are non-standard network ports shut off by default?
• Do security professionals monitor system log alerts 24/7?

If you answered no to any of the above, your network is vulnerable to intrusion.

Building a Resilient Defense Strategy for Modern Corporate Protection

The world of cybersecurity can be overwhelming if you do not have cybersecurity expertise in-house.

For business owners whose passion is providing a service or product to customers, thinking about cybersecurity can be daunting. In order to build a complete protection plan, you need a managed firewall, advanced endpoint protection, and secure offsite backups. Taking care of all these pieces internally takes away from core competencies and forces your IT department to handle too many operations.

Your IT Team should focus on supporting the business, not securing it.

Intelinet understands how challenging this environment can be is why we take pride in being your partner in long-term productivity. Our team of professionals can customize a security infrastructure plan that’s built around your company’s unique needs. 

Call On Intelinet Systems for Ransomware and Extortion Protection

Intelinet has the cybersecurity expertise and experience that your business needs to stay protected. Intelinet has been providing clients with managed IT services since 2008. Our cybersecurity team works closely with IT Managers to build a cohesive security strategy that aligns with business objectives. From initial threat detection to tactical remediation, our goal is to partner with you to keep your infrastructure safe and secure.

At Intelinet, we focus on providing clients with proactive protection through managed security services. By integrating a managed firewall, advanced endpoint protection, and immutable offsite backups, we can protect your business from unexpected downtime. Contact us today to learn how you can build a long-term partnership that protects your infrastructure from modern cyber threats. Reach out today to find out how we can help.

FAQ

Q. How do modern cyberattacks bypass traditional antivirus software?

Attackers are now using polymorphic code and fileless executions, which change the file’s signature every time it infects a new system. Endpoint security analyzes device behavior instead of checking for known file signatures.

Q. Why is an offsite backup superior to local network storage copies?

Most ransomware software is programmed to look for local backups and delete them. Offsite backups take advantage of air-gapped networks and immutable cloud storage.

Q. What role does a managed firewall play if an infection enters via email?

If a user opens a malicious attachment, the managed firewall will restrict outbound communications to malicious domains.