TECH INTELLIGENCE: Protect yourself from

Your cybersecurity partner can help you test your backups regularly to ensure you can restore your data. This way, you can restore all files to a clean system with the same data as before.

Your testing should confirm that your backup supports “immutability” – a state that ensures no one can change or delete anything. This plays an important role in protecting backups from ransomware. Once someone has created a solid backup, they cannot change it. It cannot be deleted until its retention period has expired.

Another important security consideration is access control. Only authorized people should access backups to modify or delete them when necessary. Use strong methods such as multi-factor authentication to confirm a user's identity. Also, implement access controls that tie permissions to a user's role in the organization rather than to the individual.

To make backups more secure, use “versioned backups,” which are multiple snapshots of the data at different points in time. Unlike a traditional backup that simply overwrites the previous copy, versioned backups preserve multiple previous states of your data. This way, if someone changes or deletes a file, you can restore it to a specific version before the change.

Versioned backups are important because they allow you to restore your data to a safe state after a ransomware attack. When implementing versioning, it's worth considering how many versions to keep and for how long. The combination depends on both the type of data and your storage capacity.

Using strong encryption such as AES-265 for your backup data helps protect it from unauthorized access. This scheme helps protect your data even if someone tries to hack into your backup. You should manage the encryption keys securely and avoid storing them with the backups.

Network monitoring also plays an important role in any ransomware defense strategy. This process alerts appropriate personnel when unusual behavior or unauthorized access occurs.

Companies that take digital defenses, develop and implement a robust backup strategy, and utilize regular updates are less vulnerable to disruptions. They also benefit from solid cyber protection strategies. These initiatives help them defend against attackers who target companies and other entities.

Carl Mazzanti is president of eMazzanti Technologies in Hoboken, providing IT consulting and cybersecurity services to companies ranging from home offices to multinational corporations.