Ransomware attacks – keep your business secure

Ransomware

Ransomware attacks

Due to recent Ransomware attacks on major organisations, we at Totality Services would like to issue you with the following security advice to ensure that your London based company and its data stay protected.

Back-up your data to the cloud

This encompasses all your business information, including your files, customer database, and even your Outlook contacts. Making it an ongoing part of your routine can help you from having that ‘if only’ moment when you notice files have disappeared or have become encrypted. An automated, nightly cloud data backup service will give you total peace of mind. If you do not have backups and are interested, please get in touch – you can read more about our backup service by clicking here.

Emails

Be doubtful of unsolicited attachments, even from people you know – Just because an email message looks like it came from a reputable source, doesn’t necessarily mean that it has. Many viruses can “spoof” the return address, making it look like the message came from someone else. If you can, check with the person who supposedly sent the message to make sure it’s legitimate before opening any attachments.

Adverts

Make use of an Advert Blocking application – Many types of malware can be accidentally installed by clicking on or in some cases just viewing advertisements. Applications such as AdBlock can remove adverts from a page therefore reducing the risk of being infected.

Train your employees

If you employ anyone at your business, ensure they’re trained in basic online security. Employees are the biggest security risk to a company, so take the time to let them know they must be on the ball when it comes to protecting your business and your customer’s online. It’s everyone’s responsibility.

Anti-Virus / Anti-Malware

Anti-virus and anti-malware software protects you, your privacy and your data. Malware and viruses steal personal information, take over your PC / Mac, pop up unwanted adverts and they can even use your computer to attack other people’s computers. You need to ensure that all computers in your company are protected and the software has its most recent definitions update applied.

Updates

It’s very easy to constantly hit the little “Postpone” button every time windows asks to reboot to apply updates whilst it might be convenient at the time to save that precious 10 minutes of downtime. Postponing important updates can cause havoc later down the line if your computer gets infected through a method which was recently patched. Allowing updates to install is one of the easiest methods of protecting your computer. It is also worth noting that old versions of windows such as XP are no longer supported from Microsoft and therefore are no longer being updated. If your company has an XP machine you are at serious risk and it should be replaced ASAP.

Free IT health check

We offer London based organisations a free IT health check – feel free to get in touch regarding this. If you’re not in the position to take advantage of our offer, please ensure the below recommendations are applied;

  • Make sure you have up-to-date software, anti-virus software and a firewall.
  • Check whether your computer and network are securely configured. If needed, request the help of a specialist.
  • Avoid opening email attachments from unsolicited emails.
  • Create a backup
  • Identify critical assets, and enforce enhanced security
  • Training and education for end users

IT is a critical part of your business, don’t leave it to chance!