24-Hour Toledo Critical Ransomware
Virus Assessment and Remediation Experts

Ransomware : Your Feared Information Technology Nightmare
Crypto-Ransomware has become a modern cyber pandemic that presents an enterprise-level threat for businesses of all sizes vulnerable to an assault. Versions of ransomware like the Reveton, WannaCry, Bad Rabbit, Syskey and MongoLock cryptoworms have been out in the wild for many years and continue to inflict havoc. Recent variants of ransomware like Ryuk, Maze, Sodinokibi, DopplePaymer, Snatch or Egregor, as well as more as yet unnamed newcomers, not only encrypt on-line files but also infect many configured system protection. Data replicated to the cloud can also be ransomed. In a poorly architected data protection solution, this can render any restoration impossible and effectively knocks the entire system back to zero.

Recovering services and information after a ransomware intrusion becomes a race against the clock as the victim fights to contain, cleanup the ransomware, and restore business-critical activity. Due to the fact that ransomware requires time to move laterally, assaults are often sprung during weekends and nights, when attacks are likely to take longer to detect. This multiplies the difficulty of promptly assembling and orchestrating a knowledgeable response team.

Progent makes available a variety of help services for protecting businesses from ransomware attacks. Among these are team member education to help identify and not fall victim to phishing scams, ProSight Active Security Monitoring (ASM) for remote monitoring and management, plus installation of next-generation security gateways with artificial intelligence technology from SentinelOne to discover and quarantine new cyber threats intelligently. Progent in addition provides the services of seasoned crypto-ransomware recovery consultants with the skills and perseverance to reconstruct a compromised network as rapidly as possible.

Progent's Ransomware Restoration Services
Subsequent to a crypto-ransomware attack, even paying the ransom in cryptocurrency does not provide any assurance that cyber criminals will respond with the needed codes to decrypt any or all of your information. Kaspersky Labs estimated that seventeen percent of ransomware victims never restored their data even after having paid the ransom, resulting in additional losses. The risk is also expensive. Ryuk ransoms are typically several hundred thousand dollars. For larger enterprises, the ransom can be in the millions. The fallback is to setup from scratch the key elements of your Information Technology environment. Without the availability of essential information backups, this requires a wide range of skill sets, well-coordinated project management, and the ability to work continuously until the recovery project is complete.

For decades, Progent has offered professional Information Technology services for businesses across the United States and has achieved Microsoft's Partnership certification status in the Datacenter and Cloud Productivity competencies. Progent's team of subject matter experts includes consultants who have earned top industry certifications in key technologies like Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, and major distributions of Linux. Progent's cyber security engineers have earned internationally-renowned certifications including CISA, CISSP, CRISC, SANS GIAC, and CMMC 2.0. (Refer to Progent's certifications). Progent in addition has experience in accounting and ERP application software. This breadth of experience gives Progent the skills to rapidly determine important systems and integrate the surviving pieces of your computer network system following a crypto-ransomware event and rebuild them into an operational system.

Progent's security group utilizes powerful project management tools to coordinate the sophisticated recovery process. Progent knows the importance of working quickly and in unison with a client's management and IT team members to prioritize tasks and to get the most important systems back online as soon as possible.

Client Story: A Successful Ransomware Penetration Restoration
A business escalated to Progent after their network was taken over by the Ryuk crypto-ransomware. Ryuk is believed to have been launched by Northern Korean government sponsored criminal gangs, suspected of adopting approaches exposed from the United States National Security Agency. Ryuk goes after specific businesses with little tolerance for disruption and is one of the most profitable instances of ransomware. Major targets include Data Resolution, a California-based info warehousing and cloud computing company, and the Chicago Tribune. Progent's customer is a small manufacturing business based in the Chicago metro area with about 500 workers. The Ryuk penetration had brought down all company operations and manufacturing processes. Most of the client's system backups had been on-line at the time of the intrusion and were eventually encrypted. The client considered paying the ransom (exceeding two hundred thousand dollars) and hoping for good luck, but ultimately brought in Progent.

Progent worked together with the client to quickly identify and prioritize the essential elements that had to be restored to make it possible to resume business operations:

• Microsoft Active Directory
• Electronic Mail
• Financials/MRP

Within two days, Progent was able to recover Active Directory services to its pre-intrusion state. Progent then helped perform setup and hard drive recovery on key applications. All Microsoft Exchange Server schema and configuration information were intact, which facilitated the rebuild of Exchange. Progent was able to assemble non-encrypted OST data files (Outlook Off-Line Folder Files) on team PCs to recover email data. A recent off-line backup of the client's financials/ERP systems made them able to return these essential services back on-line. Although a lot of work needed to be completed to recover fully from the Ryuk damage, core services were recovered quickly:

Throughout the next few weeks critical milestones in the recovery project were achieved in tight cooperation between Progent engineers and the client:

• In-house web sites were returned to operation with no loss of information.
• The MailStore Microsoft Exchange Server with over four million historical emails was spun up and accessible to users.
• CRM/Customer Orders/Invoicing/Accounts Payable/Accounts Receivables (AR)/Inventory functions were 100 percent recovered.
• A new Palo Alto Networks 850 firewall was installed and configured.
• Most of the user workstations were fully operational.

Conclusion
A likely business disaster was averted by hard-working professionals, a wide spectrum of IT skills, and close teamwork. Although in post mortem the ransomware virus penetration described here should have been blocked with up-to-date security systems and ISO/IEC 27001 best practices, user and IT administrator training, and well thought out incident response procedures for information backup and applying software patches, the fact remains that state-sponsored cybercriminals from China, Russia, North Korea and elsewhere are relentless and are an ongoing threat. If you do fall victim to a ransomware incursion, feel confident that Progent's roster of experts has extensive experience in ransomware virus blocking, removal, and data restoration.

To review or download a PDF version of this customer case study, click:
Progent's Crypto-Ransomware Virus Recovery Case Study Datasheet. (PDF - 282 KB)

Additional Ransomware Protection Services Available from Progent
Progent offers businesses in Toledo a variety of remote monitoring and security assessment services to help you to minimize the threat from ransomware. These services incorporate next-generation AI technology to detect zero-day strains of crypto-ransomware that can escape detection by legacy signature-based security solutions.

• ProSight Managed Service Packages: for Small to Mid-size Businesses
  Progent's ProSight Managed IT Service Packages make it possible for small and mid-size companies to utilize Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) solutions to achieve leading-edge IT resilience. Progent handles the necessary monitoring and management for you, so your system expands easily without holding you back. For an affordable and predictable monthly subscription, Progent's experienced IT group can be your complete technology safety net. Basic plans include RMM, cybersecurity, automatic monthly patching, and reporting. As your requirements grow, you can add low-cost subscriptions to best-of-breed solutions such as SaaS M365/Google Workspace backup, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), pen testing, or WiFi management.

• ProSight LAN Watch: Server and Desktop Monitoring and Management
  ProSight LAN Watch is Progent's server and desktop remote monitoring managed service that incorporates state-of-the-art remote monitoring and management (RMM) technology to keep your IT system operating at peak levels by checking the health of critical assets that power your information system. When ProSight LAN Watch detects a problem, an alert is transmitted immediately to your specified IT management personnel and your Progent engineering consultant so any looming issues can be addressed before they have a chance to impact your network. Learn more details about ProSight LAN Watch server and desktop remote monitoring services.

• ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM: Centralized RMM Solution for Networks, Servers, and Desktops
  ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM software delivers a centralized, cloud-driven platform for managing your network, server, and desktop devices by providing an environment for streamlining common time-consuming tasks. These can include health monitoring, patch management, automated repairs, endpoint deployment, backup and restore, A/V defense, remote access, standard and custom scripts, asset inventory, endpoint status reports, and troubleshooting assistance. When ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM identifies a serious incident, it transmits an alarm to your specified IT staff and your Progent consultant so that potential issues can be fixed before they impact your network. Find out more details about ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM server and desktop monitoring consulting.

• ProSight WAN Watch: Infrastructure Remote Monitoring and Management
  ProSight WAN Watch is a network infrastructure management service that makes it easy and inexpensive for smaller organizations to map out, track, optimize and debug their networking hardware like routers, firewalls, and wireless controllers as well as servers, endpoints and other networked devices. Incorporating cutting-edge Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) technology, ProSight WAN Watch ensures that infrastructure topology diagrams are kept updated, captures and manages the configuration of virtually all devices connected to your network, monitors performance, and sends notices when potential issues are discovered. By automating complex management and troubleshooting activities, WAN Watch can cut hours off common chores like network mapping, reconfiguring your network, finding appliances that require critical updates, or resolving performance issues. Learn more details about ProSight WAN Watch infrastructure management consulting.

• ProSight Reporting: Real-time Reporting for Ticketing and Network Monitoring Applications
  ProSight Reporting is an expanding family of real-time management reporting tools designed to work with the industry's top ticketing and network monitoring programs such as ConnectWise Manage, ConnectWise Automate, Customer Thermometer, Auvik, and SentinelOne. ProSight Reporting incorporates Microsoft Graph and utilizes color coding to surface and contextualize critical issues such as spotty support follow-up or machines with out-of-date AVs. By exposing ticketing or network health problems clearly and in near-real time, ProSight Reporting improves network value, lowers management overhead, and saves money. For details, see ProSight Reporting for ticketing and network monitoring applications.

• ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS): Backup and Recovery Services
  Progent has worked with leading backup software companies to produce ProSight Data Protection Services, a family of offerings that provide backup-as-a-service (BaaS). ProSight DPS products manage and track your backup operations and allow non-disruptive backup and fast restoration of vital files/folders, apps, images, plus VMs. ProSight DPS lets your business protect against data loss caused by equipment failures, natural disasters, fire, cyber attacks like ransomware, human mistakes, malicious employees, or software bugs. Managed services available in the ProSight DPS product family include ProSight Altaro VM Backup, ProSight 365 Total Backup (formerly Altaro 365 Backup), ProSight DPS ECHO Backup using Barracuda dedicated hardware, and ProSight DPS MSP360 Hybrid Backup. Your Progent consultant can help you to identify which of these fully managed backup services are best suited for your IT environment.

• ProSight Email Guard: Inbound and Outbound Spam Filtering and Data Leakage Protection
  ProSight Email Guard is Progent's spam filtering and email encryption service that uses the infrastructure of leading data security vendors to deliver centralized management and comprehensive protection for your inbound and outbound email. The hybrid architecture of Progent's Email Guard combines a Cloud Protection Layer with an on-premises security gateway device to provide advanced defense against spam, viruses, Denial of Service Attacks, DHAs, and other email-borne malware. Email Guard's cloud filter serves as a first line of defense and blocks most unwanted email from making it to your security perimeter. This reduces your exposure to inbound threats and saves system bandwidth and storage space. Email Guard's on-premises security gateway device adds a deeper level of analysis for inbound email. For outgoing email, the local gateway offers anti-virus and anti-spam protection, policy-based Data Loss Prevention, and email encryption. The onsite security gateway can also help Microsoft Exchange Server to track and protect internal email that originates and ends inside your corporate firewall. For more information, see Email Guard spam and content filtering.

• ProSight Duo Multi-Factor Authentication: Identity Validation, Endpoint Remediation, and Protected Single Sign-on (SSO)
  Progent's Duo MFA services incorporate Cisco's Duo technology to defend against password theft through the use of two-factor authentication. Duo enables single-tap identity verification on Apple iOS, Android, and other personal devices. Using 2FA, when you sign into a protected online account and give your password you are asked to confirm your identity via a unit that only you have and that is accessed using a different ("out-of-band") network channel. A broad selection of devices can be used for this second means of authentication including an iPhone or Android or watch, a hardware token, a landline telephone, etc. You may designate several validation devices. For details about Duo two-factor identity authentication services, visit Duo MFA two-factor authentication (2FA) services.

• Outsourced/Co-managed Service Desk: Support Desk Managed Services
  Progent's Support Desk services enable your IT group to outsource Support Desk services to Progent or split responsibilities for support services seamlessly between your internal network support team and Progent's extensive roster of IT service engineers and subject matter experts (SMEs). Progent's Shared Help Desk Service offers a smooth supplement to your internal network support organization. Client access to the Service Desk, delivery of technical assistance, escalation, ticket creation and updates, efficiency metrics, and management of the support database are consistent whether issues are resolved by your corporate support resources, by Progent's team, or by a combination. Find out more about Progent's outsourced/shared Call Center services.

• Active Defense Against Ransomware: AI-based Ransomware Identification and Remediation
  Progent's Active Protection Against Ransomware is an endpoint protection service that incorporates next generation behavior analysis tools to guard endpoint devices as well as physical and virtual servers against modern malware assaults such as ransomware and email phishing, which routinely get by traditional signature-matching anti-virus products. Progent ASM services protect on-premises and cloud-based resources and provides a unified platform to manage the complete malware attack lifecycle including filtering, detection, mitigation, remediation, and forensics. Top features include single-click rollback with Windows VSS and automatic network-wide immunization against new attacks. Read more about Progent's ransomware protection and recovery services.

• ProSight IT Asset Management: Network Documentation Management
  Progent's ProSight IT Asset Management service is a cloud-based IT documentation management service that allows you to create, maintain, find and protect data about your network infrastructure, procedures, applications, and services. You can instantly locate passwords or serial numbers and be alerted about upcoming expirations of SSL certificates ,domains or warranties. By updating and organizing your network documentation, you can eliminate as much as 50% of time thrown away searching for vital information about your network. ProSight IT Asset Management includes a centralized repository for holding and sharing all documents related to managing your business network like recommended procedures and self-service instructions. ProSight IT Asset Management also offers a high level of automation for collecting and associating IT data. Whether you're making enhancements, performing regular maintenance, or reacting to an emergency, ProSight IT Asset Management delivers the data you need when you need it. Read more about Progent's ProSight IT Asset Management service.

• Progent's Patch Management: Patch Management Services
  Progent's managed services for software and firmware patch management provide organizations of any size a versatile and cost-effective alternative for evaluating, validating, scheduling, implementing, and tracking software and firmware updates to your dynamic IT network. Besides optimizing the security and functionality of your IT environment, Progent's patch management services free up time for your IT team to concentrate on more strategic projects and activities that deliver the highest business value from your network. Learn more about Progent's software/firmware update management support services.

• ProSight Virtual Hosting: Hosted Virtual Machines at Progent's Tier III Data Center
  With ProSight Virtual Hosting service, a small or mid-size business can have its key servers and applications hosted in a protected fault tolerant data center on a fast virtual machine host configured and maintained by Progent's IT support experts. Under the ProSight Virtual Hosting model, the client retains ownership of the data, the operating system software, and the apps. Because the environment is virtualized, it can be moved immediately to a different hardware solution without requiring a lengthy and technically risky reinstallation procedure. With ProSight Virtual Hosting, your business is not locked into one hosting provider. Learn more details about ProSight Virtual Hosting services.

• ProSight Active Security Monitoring: Endpoint Protection and Ransomware Defense
  Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring (ASM) is an endpoint protection service that utilizes SentinelOne's next generation behavior machine learning tools to defend physical and virtual endpoints against modern malware assaults like ransomware and file-less exploits, which routinely escape traditional signature-based AV tools. ProSight ASM safeguards local and cloud resources and provides a single platform to manage the complete malware attack lifecycle including protection, detection, containment, remediation, and post-attack forensics. Key features include one-click rollback with Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) and real-time network-wide immunization against new attacks. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, dealer, and integrator. Find out more about Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring next-generation endpoint protection and ransomware recovery.

• ProSight Enhanced Security Protection: Physical and Virtual Endpoint Security and Exchange Filtering
  ProSight Enhanced Security Protection (ESP) services offer affordable multi-layer protection for physical and virtual servers, workstations, smartphones, and Microsoft Exchange. ProSight ESP uses contextual security and advanced machine learning for continuously monitoring and responding to security threats from all attack vectors. ProSight ESP provides two-way firewall protection, penetration alerts, device management, and web filtering through cutting-edge technologies packaged within a single agent managed from a single console. Progent's security and virtualization experts can help your business to plan and implement a ProSight ESP environment that meets your organization's specific needs and that helps you prove compliance with legal and industry information security standards. Progent will assist you define and implement security policies that ProSight ESP will manage, and Progent will monitor your IT environment and react to alarms that require immediate attention. Progent's consultants can also assist you to install and test a backup and disaster recovery solution such as ProSight Data Protection Services so you can get back in business quickly from a destructive security attack such as ransomware. Learn more about Progent's ProSight Enhanced Security Protection (ESP) unified endpoint protection and Exchange email filtering.