As more and more healthcare providers are been targeted with ransomware, those operating hospitals, clinics and other healthcare related services are worried on how to keep their networks safe from ransomware attacks. Security researchers from Cisco Talos are offering few points on this issue, and that when followed will surely keep the file encrypting malware at bay says experts.
First evaluate your vulnerabilities- FBI has already issued a statement last year that it just takes 3 hours for hackers to induce file encrypting malware into a corporate network through a phishing email. Therefore, educating the employees on this issue and offering them a free training makes completing sense….isn’t it
Maintain IT hygiene- It is always wise to keep your servers updated with related patches and better keep your RDPs behind a VPN. Also, anyone who has the privilege to send email, has a password for security and uses a device to log into a network should follow the basic IT hygiene of using a strong password and a 2FA if possible. Ask them to never click on email links sent from unknown senders, as there is a high probability that such emails are laced with malware.
Endpoint threat detection and response- Deploying Endpoint Threat Detection and Response (EDR) solutions make sense for companies that provide or store such crucial information tools help in neutralizing attacks of any range. And if a threat hunting team is also deployed, they can work hand-in-hand to red flag various attack patterns like ransomware packages on networks.
Incident Response- Ransomware attacks happen in a very little time frame, and so threat response should also go with the same pace to keep the damage minimal. This can be done with a swift incident response team supported with related software that will speed up hospital and health networks identify, neutralize and weed out cyber criminals from networks on time- thus keeping the patient data safe and away from clutches of hackers.
