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What could be more terrifying to you, a small business owner, than to discover you are locked out of your own computers because you’ve been hit with ransomware.
What is “ransomware”?
Ransomware is a type of malicious attack where attackers encrypt an organization’s data and demand payment to restore access.
Here’s an example of how a ransomware attack can occur:
Ransomware disrupts or halts an organization’s operations and poses a dilemma for management: does the organization pay the ransom and hope that the attackers keep their word about restoring access, or does the organization not pay the ransom and restore operations themselves?
Fortunately, organizations can take steps to prepare for ransomware attacks. This includes protecting data and devices from ransomware and being ready to respond to any ransomware attacks that succeed.
Don’t assume your business is too small to get hit. The nature of ransomware is that the cybercriminals work to ensure their malware spreads as widely as possible, infecting the computers of individuals and businesses of all sizes.
Common ways ransomware can hit you:
Ransomware is a common threat against any business, large or small. It can put a company out of business or disrupt operations for a long period of time. Paying the ransom can be very expensive and there’s no guarantee that data will ever be recovered. If customer data is stolen, it may trigger state data breach notification laws.
Here are additional resources from NIST and partner federal agencies to help you protect against and respond to ransomware attacks :