SMBs

Girl Scouts and OpenText empower future leaders of tomorrow with cyber resilience

The transition to a digital-first world enables us to connect, work and live in a realm where information is available at our fingertips. The children of today will be working in an environment of tomorrow that is shaped by hyperconnectivity. Operating in this...

World Backup Day reminds us all just how precious our data is

Think of all the important files sitting on your computer right now. If your computer crashed tomorrow, would you be able to retrieve your important files? Would your business suffer as a result? As more and more of our daily activities incorporate digital and online...

3 Reasons We Forget Small & Midsized Businesses are Major Targets for Ransomware

The ransomware attacks that make headlines and steer conversations among cybersecurity professionals usually involve major ransoms, huge corporations and notorious hacking groups. Kia Motors, Accenture, Acer, JBS…these companies were some of the largest to be...

How Ransomware Sneaks In

Ransomware has officially made the mainstream. Dramatic headlines announce the latest attacks and news outlets highlight the staggeringly high ransoms businesses pay to retrieve their stolen data. And it’s no wonder why – ransomware attacks are on the rise and the...

An MSP and SMB guide to disaster preparation, recovery and remediation

Introduction It’s important for a business to be prepared with an exercised business continuity and disaster recovery (BC/DR) plan plan before its hit with ransomware so that it can resume operations as quickly as possible. Key steps and solutions should be followed...

Podcast: Cyber resilience in a remote work world

The global pandemic that began to send us packing from our offices in March of last year upended our established way of working overnight. We’re still feeling the effects. Many office workers have yet to return to the office in the volumes they worked in pre-pandemic....

5 Tips to get Better Efficacy out of Your IT Security Stack

If you’re an admin, service provider, security executive, or are otherwise affiliated with the world of IT solutions, then you know that one of the biggest challenges to overcome is efficacy. Especially in terms of cybersecurity, efficacy is something of an amorphous...

How Cryptocurrency and Cybercrime Trends Influence One Another

Typically, when cryptocurrency values change, one would expect to see changes in crypto-related cybercrime. In particular, trends in Bitcoin values tend to be the bellwether you can use to predict how other currencies’ values will shift, and there are usually...

OpenText Security solutions 2022 Global SMB Ransomware Survey: Fighting more… with Less

Nov 7, 2022 | Business + Partners, SMBs

Small and medium-size business (SMB) leaders have a lot on their minds. The looming recession and inflation have created financial uncertainty. Meanwhile, the global rise in sophisticated ransomware threats and geo-political tensions are escalating cyber threats.

With so many factors and pressures at play, how are SMBs navigating this challenging business landscape while fighting back against cybercriminals?

Insight from OpenText Security Solutions’ 2022 Global Ransomware SMB Survey sheds light on security priorities, concerns and posture. Feedback from SMBs across multiple industries and countries confirm security teams and the C-suite are worried about increasingly sophisticated and relentless attacks.

Ransomware is a top concern for SMBs:

An overwhelming majority (88%) of SMBs indicated they are concerned or extremely concerned about an attack impacting their businesses. This worry is heightened by increasing geopolitical tensions. In fact, more than half (52%) of respondents now feel more at risk of suffering a ransomware attack due to these unfolding events.

SMBs’ ransomware concerns are already becoming a reality. Nearly half (46%) of SMBs have experienced a ransomware attack. Meanwhile, 66% of respondents are not confident or only somewhat confident that they can fend off a ransomware attack. Budget constraints and small security teams were cited as the primary roadblocks.

Despite concern, security awareness training is infrequent:

The vast majority of SMBs believe a successful ransom attack is the result of someone clicking on a malicious link or opening an email attachment. Yet despite this knowledge of users as the preferred attack surface, many SMBs (based on action) don’t view their employees as a first line of defense.

Sixty-seven percent of SMBs conduct security awareness training twice a year or less. Of these SMBs, 31% conduct security awareness trainings only once a year; 10% only if an employee fails a phishing test.

Fear of small security budgets getting smaller:

Sixty-seven percent of SMBs spend less than $50,000 annually on cybersecurity. While 59% reported plans to increase their security budget in 2023, 57% fear inflation will lead to a change in plans resulting in budget cuts.

SMB security teams are spread thin; MSPs are an appealing option:

The majority (68%) of SMBs have fewer than five people on their security team. To help alleviate resource constraints, more than half (58%) of respondents use external security management support. In the future, 65% of SMBs that don’t currently use a managed services provider (MSP) for their security needs would consider doing so.

Fighting more, with less

Adversaries have become increasingly sophisticated and relentless as the surface area of attacks only grows. Meanwhile, fear of looming budget cuts impacting already over-stretched security teams put SMBs in a vulnerable position.

Ongoing education and awareness of new attack vectors and defense against common channels such as email are critical for achieving a cyber resilience posture. Monthly phishing simulations are a great way to keep users current and accountable. A multi-layered approach that includes email security, DNS filtering, endpoint protection, and backup and recovery is essential to mitigating risk and exposure from attacks.

To learn more, go to: https://www.opentext.com/products/security-cloud

How to stop social engineering tactics

Aug 24, 2022 | Business + Partners, SMBs

With social engineering now the #1 cause of cyberattacks, it’s imperative for you to learn how to stop social engineering attacks against your business.

Your first step in stopping them is to learn what they are and how they work. After that, you need to learn how combining security layers like Endpoint Protection and Email Security makes the best defense.

Read on and we’ll walk you through every step of the way.

What is social engineering and how does it work?

Social engineering tactics are based on a simple truth: it’s easier to hack a human than it is to hack a computer. That means social engineering attackers use deception and tricks to get their victims to willingly give up private information like logins, passwords and even bank info.

Phishing is the most common type of social engineering attack, and it works by disguising emails as someone or something you trust. We would never click on an email with the subject line “Click here to get hacked,” but we might click on an email titled “Your Amazon purchase refund – claim now.”

Why does combining security layers prevent social engineering?

Forrester unleashed their researchers to find the best defense against social engineering. They recommend layered defenses for preventing social engineering strategies like phishing.

Because social engineering attacks prey on the human element of cybersecurity, they’re very good at getting around single layers of protection. After all, locked doors only work when the bad guys don’t have a copy of the key.

But if your business is protected by both Email Security and Endpoint Protection, attackers can trick their way into an employee’s email password and still be foiled by Endpoint Protection. Or they might gain access to your network with an illicitly gained password, but Email Security stops their attack from spreading.

Stop social engineering

Now that you know how social engineering works and the best defense against this type of cyberattack, you’re well on your way to stopping social engineering.

The next step is making sure you have the right tools to stop cybercriminals in their tracks. Review your cybersecurity strategy to make sure you have multiple layers of protection like Email Security and Endpoint Protection.

Interested in achieving cyber resilience and gaining a partner to help stop cyberattacks? Explore Webroot Endpoint Protection and Webroot Email Security powered by Zix.

Can your business stop social engineering attacks?

Jul 6, 2022 | Business + Partners, SMBs

Social engineering attacks like phishing, baiting and scareware have skyrocketed to take the top spot as the #1 cause of cybersecurity breaches.

So what makes social engineering so effective? When cybercriminals use social engineering tactics, they prey on our natural instinct to help one another. And as it turns out, those instincts are so strong that they can override our sixth sense about cybercrime.

But our urge to help people isn’t the only thing driving social engineering. Criminals are using new methods that target the vulnerabilities of hybrid workforces. These new tactics circumvent single layers of security and are so successful, cybercriminals are using them to target office workers.

Read on to learn how social engineering works, how to spot social engineering and how to stop social engineering.

How does social engineering work?

Social engineering is a type of cyberattack where criminals use deception to trick their victims into voluntarily giving up confidential information.

Here are some common social engineering tactics:

Using social media to find personal information. Criminals are heading to social media sites liked LinkedIn to find their next victim – and they’re using any personal information they find to craft convincing phishing emails.
Impersonation. Cybercriminals are taking advantage of the anonymity that comes with hybrid work arrangements to impersonate people. If you’ve never met anyone in your IT department it’s hard to know when someone is impersonating them.
Targeting personal devices used for work. With the hybrid work boom here to stay, the lines between work and home life are blurring. Employees are now using work devices for personal matters and personal devices to connect to work. The problem? Personal devices often lack robust security.

How to spot social engineering

So how do you spot social engineering scams? Here are some of the tell-take signs you’re being targeted:

Asking for log-in information. If you get a message asking you for log-in credentials – even if it’s from a trusted source – you’re probably the target of a social engineering attack. There’s no reason why someone else needs your login info, even if it’s your boss or your IT department.
Urgently asking for money. Along the same lines, there’s almost never a reason why someone – even someone you know – would urgently need money.
Asking to verify your information. This type of social engineering asks victims to verify their info to win a prize or a windfall. But even if the message is coming from a legitimate organization doesn’t mean it isn’t a scam with criminals spoofing an email or impersonating a business.

How to stop social engineering attacks

Now that you’ve learned the newest tactics and how to spot social engineering, all you need is to learn how to stop it.

Forrester recommends layered defenses for preventing social engineering strategies like phishing.* That’s because most social engineering attacks are so good at getting past single layers of cyber protection.

You and your business can stay safe from social engineering scams by combining Endpoint Protection and Email Security. You gain even more protection if you are able to add on Security Awareness Trainings and DNS Protection.

Each layer you add gives you a better chance of stopping social engineering tactics.

Want to learn more about social engineering and how to stop it?

Read the infographic

Improved functionality and new features to help enhance the user experience

May 19, 2022 | Business + Partners, Managed Service Providers, SMBs

Webroot Console 6.5 is here

To help get us closer to retiring the Endpoint Protection Console, we’ve introduced three new functionality features with Webroot Console 6.5.

Friendly name support

To improve overall user functionality within the existing Endpoint Console, we have introduced a naming convention feature that allows users to assign a device a ‘Friendly Name’ that will replace the original Hostname associated with a device. All devices renamed within the Endpoint Console will see this naming convention reflected in the Management Console, allowing users to manage devices without having to navigate down to the Endpoint Console.

Persistent states

To further improve the user experience, the sites and entities pages has been improved with the introduction of persistent states. This introduction allows filters and searches to persist across a user’s session. Admins can seamlessly navigate away from a page and return to the view they were previously working with. This type of functionality will be introduced across other areas of the console in future releases.

Site only Admin view

This release brings forth a new look and feel for Site Only Admins to help align with the rest of the Webroot Management Console. This view represents the beginning for Site Only Admins. Admins will still have access to the Endpoint Protection Console during the uplift process in upcoming releases.

The release of Webroot’s latest console provides users with a simplified and centralized management system, intuitive user experience and enhanced visibility.

Visit our portal to get the latest Webroot updates in real-time.

Browse the status of product updates and enable delivery notifications.

Soaring ransomware payments, consistent infections, deceptive URLs and more in this year’s 2022 BrightCloud® Threat Report

Apr 4, 2022 | Business + Partners, SMBs, Threat Intelligence

Cyber threats are becoming increasingly difficult to detect. Cybercriminals are also becoming experts in deception. What does this mean for your business? How can you keep your family members safe online and reassure your customers you are protecting their data?

Our threat research analysts have complied the latest threat intelligence data to bring you the most cutting-edge and insightful information about the most recent cyber threats and what they mean for you.

Below is a summary and sneak peek from the full report.

Malware

Whether you operate a business or spend time online surfing the web, malware remains a concern. In the last year, 86% of malware remained unique to a PC, which has been consistent for the past few years. This implies attackers are obtaining a level of consistency in what they do to avoid being caught.

While the goal of spreading infection is top of mind for a bad actor, infection rates are not equal. When we examined the trends between businesses and consumers, there are some marked differences:

53% of consumer PCs were infected more than once, but businesses lag behind migrating from Windows 7, leaving them more suspectable to infection.
For medium-sized organizations (21 to 100 licensed PCs) infection rates are just over one-third (34%), infecting nine PCs on average.
The manufacturing, public administration and information sectors experienced higher-than-average infection rates.

If your business falls within these industries or if you’re concerned your personal PC could be prone to infection, read the complete section on malware in the 2022 BrightCloud® Threat Report. It’s chock full of insights into the differences in infection rates by type of PC, region and industry.

Skyrocketing ransomware payments will cost more than just your revenue

If you’re a small business owner, you don’t need to be told that you’ve suffered immensely throughout the pandemic. Exposure to ransomware is just another element you’ve had to consider. Ransomware continues to plague small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs). While this is not a new revelation, the smallest organizations, those with 100 employees or less, accounted for 44% of ransomware victims last year.

That’s nearly half.

Why do cybercriminals focus on SMBs? Attacks on larger enterprises and state-owned entities bring a level of publicity and attention that makes it harder for bad actors to achieve their goal of a financial payout. SMBs, given the lack of resources to respond, are more likely to pay and pay a lot. The year-end average for 2021 more than doubled the 2020 average, reaching $322,168. With limited resources at their disposal, the smallest of organizations are faced with tough decisions ahead when it comes to making ransomware payments and disclosing their decision to do so.

Law enforcement agencies are starting to gain headway on ransomware gangs. To learn how countries are banding together to shutdown notorious groups like REvil and DarkSide, check out the ransomware section of the full report.

High-risk URLs are phishing for your data in the most benign of locations

We discovered four million new high-risk URLs were in existence in 2021. To make matters worse, almost 66% of them involved phishing. Cybercriminals look to certain times of the year to execute their attacks. They are also keen to impersonate well-known brands to lure you into clicking on malicious links. Our complete list of top brands that are most impersonated is available in the phishing section of our full report.

Thwarting cyber threats through cyber resilience

“Businesses’ ability to prepare for and recover from threats will increase as they integrate cyber resilience into their technologies, processes, and people,” said Mark J. Barrenechea, OpenText CEO & CTO. “With security risks escalating worldwide and a persistent state of ‘unprecedented’ threats, compromises are inevitable. This year’s findings reiterate the need for organizations to deploy strong multi-layered security defenses to help them remain at the heart of cyber resilience and circumvent even the most creative cybercriminals.”

Our full report helps you uncover the latest cyber trends powered by our BrightCloud® Threat Intelligence platform.

To learn more and empower your cyber know-how, download the 2022 BrightCloud® Threat Report.

World Backup Day reminds us all just how precious our data is

Mar 25, 2022 | Business + Partners, Featured Posts, SMBs

What is backup?

Simply put, backup is a copy of your files. Think of your family photos, home videos, tax information and other important documents. Typically we compile these files on our computer. Without backing these files up, they can get lost or stolen.

Why backup?

Backup enables you to keep your data accessible and secure. There are so many ways your personal files or business documents could experience data loss. It could simply be a result of human error. Data loss can also occur as a result of falling victim to ransomware, malware or phishing. According to the 2022 BrightCloud® Threat Report, medium-sized organizations (21 to 100 licensed PCs) experienced malware infection rates that affected nine PCs on average last year. To make matters worse, BrightCloud® Threat Intelligence also revealed four million new high-risk URLs were in existence in 2021 and almost 66% of them involved phishing. Whether you have important files stored on your personal or business computers, your data remains at risk.

“The possibility of data loss and theft should be top of mind for individuals and businesses. Our increased reliance on digital files, the rise in cyber attacks, human error and natural disasters are just a few examples of how your data remains highly vulnerable,” says Tyler Moffitt, senior security analyst at Carbonite + Webroot, OpenText Security Solutions.

Take control of your data through backup

Beginning the backup process can be daunting. Whether you’re looking to back up your family’s documents or your mission-critical business files, it’s important to consider:

Where will you back up your data? There are a number of backup options. From external hard drive to the cloud, there are many ways to prevent loss. It’s important to find a solution that fits your needs.
What is your retention policy? A retention policy allows you to keep certain backups for a longer period of time. For instance, a business may decide it’s necessary to keep daily backups for a total of 30 days, but a family may choose to hold onto all their family photos for months before archiving.

Say goodbye to data loss with Carbonite

Even though there are many ways to back up your data, not all options are created equal. For instance, storing your personal files on an external drive can backfire if the drive becomes corrupt or lost. As more of our data exists online, it’s important to consider cloud-based options.

Many vendors in the market offer cloud backup solutions for your home or business. But it’s important to find a reliable and trusted provider. Carbonite is an award-winning, industry leader with reliable backup solutions. Over one million people trust Carbonite to protect their digital lives. Carbonite offers automatic, dependable and convenient backup for all of your devices and hard drive files.

Make data backup a priority

World Backup Day is an important reminder to preserve our data. As the threat landscape continues to evolve, backing up your files becomes part of a larger cyber resilience strategy. Cyber resilience is a defense in depth strategy that helps ensure continuous access to your personal and business data no matter what happens.

Carbonite offers solutions for consumers and businesses. Discover which of our plans is right for you.

Own a small business and need data backup? Discover Carbonite Safe® for professionals.

Kick start your backup journey today. To understand your backup needs, begin with our quick assessment. We’ll help you pinpoint the level of backup you need. We’ll also give you an opportunity to experience it without commitment.

Start a free trial today and discover for yourself how simple it is to back up your data with Carbonite.

Protect From Cyberattacks With These 6 Steps For Cyber Resilience

Feb 24, 2022 | Business + Partners, SMBs

Making the case

The pros behind Carbonite + Webroot joined forces with industry leading researchers at IDC to develop an easy-to-understand framework for fighting back against cybercrime. The results? A 6-step plan for adopting a cyber resilience strategy meant to keep businesses safe.

IDC looked into the data and past the alarming headlines with million-dollar ransom payments and crippling supply chain attacks.

The facts they found are eye-opening and underline why cyber resilience is the best strategy:

less than 2% of full-time staff at SMBs are dedicated to tech
30% of companies that paid a ransom forked over between $100,000 and $1 million
56% of ransomware victims suffered at least a few days or a week of downtime

Of course, the best strategies can’t help anyone who doesn’t adopt them. So IDC also compiled tips for communicating with businesses. Whether you’re an MSP, an IT pro or just a friend, you can use these tips to help convince the underprepared that they need a cyber resilience strategy.

The 4 reasons why cyber resilience makes sense

IDC researchers make an iron-clad case for cyber resilience by looking at the current state of cybercrime. The found 4 main reasons why businesses need a cyber resilience framework:

Crippling cyberattacks are on the rise. Evolving methods and sophisticated tactics make cybercrime a booming business for criminals.
A distributed IT footprint brings greater risk. The onset of hybrid work opens new pathways ready to be exploited. And let’s face it, the average home WiFi doesn’t have the right kind of security.
IT departments are stretched thin. Less than 2% of SMBs’ total employee base is dedicated to full-time IT staff.*
Consequences of an attack remain dire. Attacks continue to reverberate past the day of a breach, with 55% of ransomware victims suffering a few days to a week of costly downtime.**

The right tools can fight back

But it’s not all bad news. Adopting the right strategy and the right tools sets you on the road to protecting your business. The headlines are scary and the stats are alarming, but they’re not prophecy. Businesses don’t have to live in fear of falling victim to cyberattacks.

From framework to action

IDC goes in depth for the steps businesses can take to adopt cyber resilience. Here’s a quick preview of the framework:

Identify. You can’t protect what you haven’t first identified.
Protect. Employees and their devices are cybercriminals’ first targets. Protect them and start a systematic file and backup system.
Detect. Threat intelligence and experience-based detection can thwart even the most sophisticated attackers.
Respond. It’s imperative to stop attackers’ advances before real harm occurs.
Recover. Clean up infected devices, close backdoors and have a plan to recover damaged or out-of-commission assets.
Educate. Empower your employees to form a citizen army of cybersecurity checkpoints.

Combining powers to form the best defense

IDC also suggests the best ways that businesses can take action to protect themselves. By combining the powers of outside help with in-house know how, businesses benefit from the best of two worlds.

Ready to start protecting yourself and your business? Explore how Carbonite + Webroot provide a full range of cyber resilience solutions.

Download the IDC report.

* IDC’s Worldwide Small and Medium Business Survey, 2020

** IDC, Future Enterprise Resiliency & Spending Survey Wave 6, July 2021, IDC’s 2021 Ransomware Study: Where You Are Matters!

Pro tips for backing up large datasets

Jan 19, 2022 | Business + Partners, SMBs

Successfully recovering from disruption or disaster is one of an IT administrator’s most critical duties. Whether it’s restoring servers or rescuing lost data, failure to complete a successful recovery can spell doom for a company.

But mastering the recovery process happens before disaster strikes. This is especially true for large datasets. Our breakdown is here to help you along the way. We also have an even more detailed walkthrough for how to back up large datasets.

Large datasets have lots of variables to consider when figuring out the ‘how’ of recovery. After all, recovery doesn’t happen with the flip of a switch. Success is measured by retrieving mission critical files in the right order so your business can get back to business.

5 essential questions to ask before backing up large datasets

IT pros know that a successful recovery takes trial and error, and even a bit of finesse. And with many things in life, a bit of preparation can save a lot of downtime. So before you start, ask yourself these questions:

What’s my company’s document retention policy? (And don’t forget regulatory requirements like GDPR)

First, you need to ensure you satisfy your company’s retention policy and that you’re in compliance with any regulatory requirements when choosing what to backup. Before sifting through your data and making hard decisions about what to protect, you need to take this important step to make sure you don’t run afoul of legislation or regulations.

Which data is mission critical to the business?

Once in full compliance with company policies and regulations, it’s time to highlight any data that affects the operations or the financial health of the business. Identifying mission critical data allows you to prioritize backup tasks based on desired recovery options.

You can also exclude data that isn’t mission critical and isn’t covered by regulations from regular backup scheduling. Any bandwidth you save now will give you added flexibility when you make it to the last step.

What types of data do I have (and can I compress it)?

Data is more than 1s and 0s. Some datasets have more redundancy than others, making them easier to compress while images, audio and video tend to have less redundancy. Your company might have a lot of incompressible images leading you to utilize snapshot or image backup. This allows you to move large datasets over a network more efficiently without interrupting critical workflows.

How frequently do my data change?

The rate of change for your data will determine the size of your backups and help you figure out how long it will take to recover. That’s because once you have an initial backup and complete the dedupe process, backups only need to record the changes to your data.

Anything that doesn’t change will be recoverable from the initial backup. Even with a very large dataset, if most of your data stays static then you can recover from a small disruption very quickly. But no matter the rate of change, anticipating how long it will take to recover critical data informs your business continuity plans.

What size backup will my network support?

Bandwidth capacity is a common denominator for successful recoveries. It’s important to remember that you can only protect as much data as your network will allow. Using all your bandwidth to make daily backups can grind business to a halt. This is where your preparation can help the most.

Once you’ve answered the first four questions, you should know which data need to be accessible at any hour of the day. You can protect this data onsite with a dedicated backup appliance to give you the fastest recovery times. Of course, you’ll still have this data backed up offsite in case a localized disaster strikes.

Explore Carbonite plans

Money matters

IT assets cost money and often represent large investments for businesses. New technologies bring advancements in business continuity but can also add complications. And to top it all off, IT ecosystems increasingly must support both legacy technology and new systems.

Some vendors are slow to adapt new pricing models that fit with emerging technologies. They add on excessive overage charges and ‘per instance’ fees. This adds costs as businesses scale up their environments – more servers, databases and applications increasingly escalate prices.

Finding the right partner

That’s why it’s so important to work with a vendor that offers unlimited licensing. You’re empowered to protect what you need and grow your business without worrying about an extra cost. Most importantly, businesses shouldn’t have to skimp on protection because of an increase in price.

Time to get started

Protecting large datasets goes beyond just flipping a switch. Preparation and careful consideration of your data will help you land on a strategy that works for your business.

Interested in learning more about Carbonite backup plans?

Explore our industry leading solutions and start a free trial to see them in action.

Ransom hits main street

Nov 5, 2021 | Business + Partners, SMBs

Cybercriminals have made headlines by forcing Fortune 500 companies to pay million-dollar ransom payments to retrieve their data and unlock their systems. But despite the headlines, most ransomware targets families as well as small and medium sized businesses.

In fact, the average ransom payment is closer to $50,000. And it makes sense – just like it is for common criminals, it’s easier to steal a purse than it is to rob millions from a bank.

Targeted by ransomware

Ransomware uses modern technology and cutting-edge tools to do something that feels decidedly old fashioned – steal from you. It’s a modern day grift, where criminals take something that you value and will only give it back in exchange for money

In the modern age, it looks like this: cybercriminals break into your device and lock away your most valuable files. They want to disrupt your life and your business so much that you’re willing to pay the cybercriminals to give back your most important files.

Ransomware tactics

“Their goal is disruption. How can your business operate if all the computers are locked up?” explains Grayson Milbourne, security intelligence director for Carbonite + Webroot. And businesses aren’t the only target.

Families might lose access to years of photos and videos because of a ransomware attack. That’s because criminals know that families are willing to pay to keep years’ worth of precious memories.

Of course, cybercriminals have added a new layer to their crimes. Now, instead of destroying your files if you don’t pay them, they’ll sell your files on the dark web. This way victims are even more likely to pay because they could lose passwords, business data and personal information.

How to fight back.

Cybercriminals aren’t the only ones using new technology, though. Cybersecurity experts are developing new tools for keeping cybercriminals out of your business and personal life. Of course, the first step to protecting you or your business is adopting a cybersecurity tool that protects your files and makes backups in case of emergency.

With safeguards in place, you won’t have to pick between losing your files and your privacy or paying cybercriminals.

Ready to take the first in protecting your most precious memories and most important documents?

Explore Webroot plans.

The Rise of Ransomware

Oct 13, 2021 | Business + Partners, SMBs

Ransomware attacks dominate news coverage of the cybersecurity industry. And it’s no wonder – with million-dollar payouts, infrastructure attacks and international manhunts, ransomware makes for exciting headlines. But its recent domination of the airwaves has been a long time coming.

“The first types of ransomware have existed for quite some time, going all the way back to the early 2000’s,” says Grayson Milbourne, security intelligence director at Carbonite + Webroot. Going through the history of ransomware, Grayson notes that it started as small time swindles “with the goal of getting you to pay 50 bucks.”

Evolving Threats

The ransomware we see today has evolved over the last 20 years to become the monster seen in news headlines. Instead of petty crooks, we now see criminal gangs that combine ransomware with worm-like capabilities that utilize a double extortion method.

In other words, “ransomware isn’t just a targeted model that you have to click on to fall for. Anybody can be attacked and breached,” explains Tyler Moffitt, senior threat analyst at Carbonite + Webroot.

The New Standard of Ransomware

Hackers not only steal and lock files away, they also leak data in the most damaging way if a ransom settlement is not reached. And the new brand of ransomware spreads through networks and across businesses so you might fall victim even though it was your colleague or business partner that clicked on the wrong link.

These new methods helped skyrocket the average ransom payment to almost $150,000. Even worse, most ransom payments end being around $50,000. The high average payment is buoyed by a few million-dollar ransoms, but most victims are small and medium businesses.

Fighting Back

Luckily, the news isn’t all bad. Yes, ransomware has had years to evolve into the juggernaut it is today. But analysts, security experts and threat researchers have also had time to craft new tools to keep people and businesses safe.

“It’s so much better modernizing your infrastructure up front in the appropriate defense in depth,” says Jon Murchison, CEO of Blackpoint Cyber. For Murchison, security efforts cannot wait until an attack happens, they need to be adopted in advance.

But the right tools, Murchison says “will save you from a bad day or an existential day to your business.”

Check out episode 2 to learn more about how ransomware has evolved and how you can protect yourself in the face of these new threats.

Then stay tuned for Carbonite + Webroot’s episode 3 in our series on ransomware.

It’s time to ask: Is ransomware insurance bad for cybersecurity?

Aug 10, 2021 | Business + Partners, Managed Service Providers, SMBs

The issue at the heart of ransomware insurance will be familiar to most parents of young children: rewarding bad behavior only invites more of the same, so it’s generally not a good idea. But critics of the ransomware insurance industry argue that’s exactly what the practice does.

Ransomware insurance has by now long been suspected of excusing lax security practices and inspiring confidence among cybercriminals that they’ll receive a timely payment following a successful breach.

Exactly how widespread ransomware claims by businesses are is difficult to determine since companies don’t exactly jump at the chance to discuss their run-ins with ransomware publicly. But it’s safe to assume that claims have risen alongside an undeniable surge in ransomware attacks.

Another issue with the cyber insurance industry stems from the fact that paying a ransom is no guarantee that data will be returned. In our recent report on the hidden costs of ransomware, nearly 20 percent of respondents were not able to recover their data even after making an extortion payment.

The Paris-based insurance giant AXA broke new ground this year by announcing it would stop insuring against cyberattacks, citing a lack of guidance from French regulators about the practice. It’s worth remembering that the FBI “does not support paying a ransom in response to a ransomware attack.”

So, if U.S.-based insurers were to follow AXA’s logic, they too would stop covering ransomware payments. So far, few have. For now.

Doomed to be a short-lived sector?

The industry publication InsuranceJournal.com recently wrote in a post on its site that “pressure is building on the industry to stop reimbursing for ransoms.” Before ransomware went rampant, the article notes, cybersecurity insurance was a profitable sub-category of the insurance business as a whole. But those days may be numbered. The sector is now “teetering on the edge of profitability” according to the post’s author.

It’s well-known within cybersecurity circles that ransomware actors will conduct advanced research to determine if a potential target is insured. If so, it’s hardly a deterrent since it increases the likelihood a payment will be made.

It winds up being a self-reinforcing cycle. As ProPublica wrot e in its study of the industry, “by rewarding hackers, it encourages more ransomware attacks, which in turn frighten more businesses and government agencies into buying policies.”

A commonly cited defense of ransomware insurance is that they not only protect against the cost of the ransom, but also against knock-on expenses from ransomware like downtime, reallocation of tech resources and reputational damage. We know from our own research that these costs can be significant, so there’s some validity to this argument.

But the real question the cyber insurance industry needs to answer is whether it can ever again be profitable. A recently released paper from the British defense think tank Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), titled Cyber Insurance and the Cyber Security Challenge, identified this as one of the key challenges to the industry’s viability.

That paper found that “there is arguably too little global premium to absorb losses from a systemic event.” In other words, the next NotPetya could sink the industry.

Ransomware on the whole has caused losses in the cyber insurance industry, not least because, “unlike the majority of risks insurers cover, ransomware attacks are both a high-impact and a high-probability risk.”

Addressing cybersecurity insurance shortfalls

Importantly, the RUSI paper in the end reported that it was unable to find empirical evidence that “cyber insurers may be unintentionally facilitating the behavior of cybercriminals by contributing to the growth of targeted ransomware operations.” While that fact undermines arguments that cyber insurers are a boon for ransomware actors, it doesn’t speak to the question of viability.

As with any nascent industry, ransomware insurance vendors have some tough issues to grapple with concerning how they do business. The “race to the bottom,” which RUSI describes as a combination of cheap premiums and loose restrictions on underwriting (not requiring basic cybersecurity measures as part of the deal, for example), represents the real risk to the industry.

Its possible cyber insurance companies could drastically reduce claims by mandating a cyber resilience posture as a condition of being insured. Like a higher life insurance premium for a career stunt man, organizations without robust cybersecurity in place (including defense plus backup and restoration capabilities) could be forced to foot a higher bill. While this is already standard practice among many insurers, industry regulation may be required to prevent the opening of a market for insurers with more lax baseline cybersecurity requirements.

At the very least, insurers should insist on three core elements of cybersecurity strategy before underwriting:

Endpoint and network level security to guard against attacks. Devices secured with antiviruses and networks secured by DNS filters or firewalls should be the bare minimum requirement for protecting against ransomware attacks. Without them, ransomware actors are being invited in the front door.
Mandated ongoing security awareness training for employees. User-enabled breaches remain one of the most common causes of a successful ransomware attack. Without addressing end users’ tendency to fall for phishing and other social engineering attacks, while ransomware actors may find the front door locked, they know there’s a good chance it will be opened for them by someone on the inside.
Proven data backup and security protocols. Maintaining complete copies of mission-critical data is one of the simplest ways to undermine ransomware actors. By collectively removing this key piece of leverage, organizations can go a long way toward normalizing the non-payment of ransomware demands, easing the burden on cyber insurers.

Making the above the minimum standard for organizations would both minimize the damage caused by ransomware actors and increase the viability of ransomware insurance as an industry. By prioritizing cyber resilience over any one category of security, businesses can prevent breaches and get back to work easier when they do occur.

As workforces migrate from offices, workflows migrate to the cloud

Aug 5, 2021 | Business + Partners, SMBs

In March of 2020 schools throughout the United Kingdom closed their doors to try to stem the spread of the coronavirus. In addition to disruptions to the lives of students and their families, the pandemic put unprecedented pressure on IT departments across the UK and wider world.

Notoriously strapped for resources, many schools’ IT departments found themselves without access to server rooms and no way to troubleshoot for students and staff when grading, learning and teleconferencing applications encountered problems.

In 2020 this situation was unfolding around the UK, and why CloudHappi began searching for a solution for their clients. CloudHappi is a London-based provider of IT solutions tailored for the education sector. Determined to provide the best learning experience possible for remote students, the company began exploring opportunities for shifting the IT burden from on-premise servers to the cloud.

Unfortunately, many of the earlier solutions CloudHappi explored took up to 15 days to perform a complete migration, an unacceptable timeline for schools looking to establish some sense of normalcy as soon as possible. After finding Carbonite and its server migration solution, however, it was able to perform a complete migration for its first school within a single day.

As a result, IT operations for the school experienced fewer disruptions, applications were easy to access and unfortunate circumstances for students were made a little easier to handle.

Many reasons to migrate

Schools across the UK and United States are planning to open in the fall, notwithstanding uncertainty caused by the spread of the virus’s Delta variant. Vaccinations in much of the world are prompting workers to return to offices and life to start to resemble its pre-pandemic state in many ways.

But in other ways, it may never again. By some estimates, less than 35% of workers have returned to office spaces. Many companies don’t plan on requiring their workforces to come back at all. Some business leaders see remote work as a net positive, giving them access to larger talent pools, reducing pollution, freeing up time spent commuting for more productive tasks and cutting facilities costs.

Whether inspired by downsizing and office space or not renewing leases at all, there’s a good chance this shift in the workforce will require many more migrations from on-premise servers to the cloud. Not unlike in the case of UK schools, IT admins will require greater access to productivity solutions without the need for physical space in which to operate.

Aside from the flexibility of being able to access systems from anywhere, migrating to the cloud entails several knock-on benefits for businesses, whether MSPs or their clients.

Streamlined management – By offloading server management to a public cloud like Microsoft Azure or Amazon Web Services, businesses capitalize on all the economies of scale these companies have built over years of innovation and investment. Given the resources at their disposal, most cloud companies dwarf the capabilities of small IT teams
Enhanced security – With well-developed security policies covering things like firewalls, open ports and security teams dedicated to uncovering and patching vulnerabilities, public cloud companies often offer better security coverage than small IT teams. Even as bigger targets compared to a self-managed small business, available again give these companies the edge in terms of data security.
High-availability – Migrating data to the cloud also puts high-availability data replication possible for businesses. While large public cloud operations are highly reliable, outages do happen. When they do, high availability cloud architecture can quickly search to an unaffected server containing byte-by-byte replication if an original happens to go down. Without a high-availability solution, to use our example of schoolchildren in the UK, video conferencing software may become inoperable and students unable to learn together. For a business, losing access to certain applications because of a cloud outage can spell disaster. If email systems or customer account portals become inaccessible the costs can mount quickly.

In a sense, COVID-19 accelerated trends in computing trends by years. While much work had been moving to the cloud for some time before the pandemic hit, the sudden need for a distributed workforce heightened its importance overnight. Luckily, migrating offers significant benefits for all types of organizations and looks to be well suited for the workforce of the future.

To learn more about the benefits of migrating to the cloud, visit the Carbonite Migrate page here.