24-Hour Montgomery Immediate Ransomware
Computer Virus Detection and Removal Consulting

Crypto-Ransomware : Your Feared Information Technology Nightmare
Ransomware has become a modern cyberplague that poses an extinction-level threat for organizations poorly prepared for an assault. Multiple generations of ransomware such as Reveton, CryptoWall, Bad Rabbit, Syskey and MongoLock cryptoworms have been running rampant for years and still inflict damage. Modern variants of ransomware such as Ryuk, Maze, Sodinokibi, Netwalker, Snatch or Egregor, as well as daily as yet unnamed newcomers, not only do encryption of on-line critical data but also infiltrate many accessible system restores and backups. Data synched to off-site disaster recovery sites can also be corrupted. In a vulnerable data protection solution, this can render automated restore operations useless and basically sets the entire system back to square one.

Getting back on-line programs and information following a ransomware event becomes a race against the clock as the targeted organization fights to stop the spread, clear the crypto-ransomware, and resume mission-critical activity. Because ransomware needs time to replicate, penetrations are frequently sprung on weekends and holidays, when successful penetrations may take longer to discover. This multiplies the difficulty of promptly assembling and orchestrating a capable mitigation team.

Progent offers an assortment of solutions for protecting enterprises from crypto-ransomware penetrations. These include staff training to help recognize and not fall victim to phishing attempts, ProSight Active Security Monitoring (ASM) for remote monitoring and management, in addition to deployment of next-generation security solutions with artificial intelligence technology from SentinelOne to identify and suppress day-zero cyber threats quickly. Progent also offers the assistance of expert ransomware recovery consultants with the talent and commitment to restore a compromised system as urgently as possible.

Progent's Ransomware Restoration Services
After a ransomware penetration, sending the ransom demands in cryptocurrency does not provide any assurance that distant criminals will return the codes to decrypt any or all of your data. 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 costly. Ryuk ransoms are often a few hundred thousand dollars. For larger organizations, the ransom demand can reach millions. The other path is to re-install the essential parts of your IT environment. Without the availability of full system backups, this requires a broad range of skill sets, top notch project management, and the ability to work non-stop until the recovery project is done.

For decades, Progent has made available expert Information Technology services for businesses across the U.S. and has achieved Microsoft's Partnership certification status in the Datacenter and Cloud Productivity competencies. Progent's team of subject matter experts includes engineers who have attained advanced certifications in key technologies including Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, and major distributions of Linux. Progent's cybersecurity experts have garnered internationally-recognized certifications including CISM, CISSP-ISSAP, CRISC, GIAC, and CMMC 2.0. (Visit Progent's certifications). Progent in addition has experience with financial management and ERP applications. This breadth of experience affords Progent the capability to rapidly understand critical systems and re-organize the surviving components of your IT system following a ransomware event and rebuild them into an operational network.

Progent's ransomware team of experts uses best of breed project management systems to coordinate the sophisticated restoration process. Progent appreciates the importance of acting rapidly and in unison with a customer's management and IT staff to assign priority to tasks and to get the most important systems back on line as fast as humanly possible.

Client Case Study: A Successful Ransomware Intrusion Restoration
A small business contacted Progent after their company was attacked by Ryuk ransomware. Ryuk is thought to have been deployed by Northern Korean government sponsored cybercriminals, suspected of using approaches leaked from America's NSA organization. Ryuk goes after specific organizations with little ability to sustain disruption and is among the most profitable incarnations of ransomware viruses. Headline victims include Data Resolution, a California-based information warehousing and cloud computing business, and the Chicago Tribune. Progent's customer is a regional manufacturing business located in the Chicago metro area with around 500 employees. The Ryuk penetration had paralyzed all essential operations and manufacturing capabilities. The majority of the client's backups had been directly accessible at the beginning of the intrusion and were damaged. The client was taking steps for paying the ransom demand (exceeding two hundred thousand dollars) and praying for the best, but ultimately made the decision to use Progent.

Progent worked with the customer to quickly get our arms around and prioritize the most important areas that needed to be addressed in order to restart business operations:

• Active Directory (AD)
• Exchange Server
• Accounting/MRP

In less than 2 days, Progent was able to re-build Active Directory services to its pre-intrusion state. Progent then helped perform reinstallations and hard drive recovery of mission critical systems. All Exchange Server data and configuration information were intact, which greatly helped the rebuild of Exchange. Progent was able to collect local OST files (Outlook Email Off-Line Folder Files) on various workstations and laptops in order to recover mail information. A not too old off-line backup of the businesses accounting software made them able to recover these essential applications back on-line. Although significant work needed to be completed to recover totally from the Ryuk virus, core systems were restored quickly:

Throughout the following month critical milestones in the recovery process were completed in close collaboration between Progent consultants and the client:

• Self-hosted web applications were brought back up without losing any data.
• The MailStore Microsoft Exchange Server exceeding 4 million archived messages was brought on-line and accessible to users.
• CRM/Product Ordering/Invoices/Accounts Payable (AP)/Accounts Receivables (AR)/Inventory Control functions were completely restored.
• A new Palo Alto 850 firewall was deployed.
• Nearly all of the desktop computers were functioning as before the incident.

Conclusion
A likely business-ending disaster was evaded with dedicated experts, a broad array of technical expertise, and tight teamwork. Although in retrospect the ransomware virus attack detailed here would have been identified and stopped with up-to-date security technology and security best practices, user and IT administrator training, and properly executed incident response procedures for data backup and keeping systems up to date with security patches, the fact remains that state-sponsored cyber criminals from China, North Korea and elsewhere are relentless and represent an ongoing threat. If you do fall victim to a ransomware incident, feel confident that Progent's roster of experts has substantial experience in ransomware virus blocking, removal, and information systems recovery.

To read or download a PDF version of this customer story, please click:
Progent's Crypto-Ransomware Incident Recovery Case Study Datasheet. (PDF - 282 KB)

Additional Ransomware Protection Services Available from Progent
Progent can provide businesses in Montgomery a variety of online monitoring and security assessment services designed to help you to minimize the threat from crypto-ransomware. These services include modern AI technology to uncover new variants of ransomware that can evade legacy signature-based security solutions.

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

• ProSight LAN Watch: Server and Desktop Remote Monitoring and Management
  ProSight LAN Watch is Progent's server and desktop monitoring managed service that uses advanced remote monitoring and management (RMM) technology to keep your IT system operating at peak levels by tracking the health of critical assets that power your business network. When ProSight LAN Watch uncovers an issue, an alert is transmitted immediately to your specified IT management staff and your assigned Progent engineering consultant so that any looming issues can be resolved before they have a chance to impact productivity. Find out more about ProSight LAN Watch server and desktop remote monitoring consulting.

• ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM: Unified RMM for Networks, Servers, and Workstations
  ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM software offers a unified, cloud-driven platform for managing your network, server, and desktop devices by offering tools for performing common time-consuming jobs. These can include health monitoring, update management, automated repairs, endpoint setup, backup and restore, A/V defense, secure remote access, standard and custom scripts, asset inventory, endpoint status reports, and debugging support. When ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM uncovers a serious issue, it sends an alarm to your designated IT management personnel and your assigned Progent technical consultant so that emerging problems can be taken care of before they impact productivity. Find out more details about ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM server and desktop remote monitoring services.

• ProSight WAN Watch: Network Infrastructure Remote Monitoring and Management
  Progent's ProSight WAN Watch is a network infrastructure monitoring and management service that makes it easy and affordable for smaller organizations to map out, track, reconfigure and troubleshoot their networking hardware like switches, firewalls, and access points plus servers, endpoints and other devices. Using cutting-edge Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) technology, ProSight WAN Watch makes sure that network diagrams are always updated, captures and manages the configuration of almost all devices on your network, monitors performance, and sends notices when potential issues are detected. By automating time-consuming network management activities, ProSight WAN Watch can knock hours off ordinary tasks such as network mapping, reconfiguring your network, locating devices that require critical updates, or resolving performance problems. Find out more about ProSight WAN Watch infrastructure management services.

• ProSight Reporting: Real-time and In-depth Reporting for Ticketing and Network Monitoring Applications
  ProSight Reporting is an expanding family of real-time management reporting utilities created to integrate with the industry's leading ticketing and network monitoring applications including ConnectWise Manage, ConnectWise Automate, Customer Thermometer, Auvik, and SentinelOne. ProSight Reporting uses Microsoft Graph and features color coding to highlight and contextualize critical issues such as spotty support follow-up or endpoints with out-of-date AVs. By exposing ticketing or network health concerns clearly and in near-real time, ProSight Reporting improves productivity, lowers management hassle, and saves money. For more information, see ProSight Reporting for ticketing and network monitoring platforms.

• ProSight Data Protection Services: Backup and Recovery Services
  Progent has worked with leading backup software companies to produce ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS), a family of offerings that deliver backup-as-a-service. ProSight DPS services automate and track your data backup operations and allow transparent backup and fast restoration of important files/folders, apps, system images, plus VMs. ProSight DPS lets you recover from data loss caused by equipment failures, natural disasters, fire, cyber attacks such as ransomware, user error, ill-intentioned insiders, or software glitches. Managed backup services available in the ProSight DPS product line include ProSight Altaro VM Backup, ProSight 365 Total Backup (formerly Altaro 365 Backup), ProSight DPS ECHO Backup using Barracuda dedicated hardware, and ProSight MSP360 Hybrid Backup. Your Progent expert can help you to identify which of these 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 and virus filtering and email encryption service that incorporates the technology of leading data security vendors to provide centralized management and world-class security for all your email traffic. The powerful structure of Email Guard managed service integrates cloud-based filtering with an on-premises gateway appliance to provide advanced protection against spam, viruses, Denial of Service Attacks, Directory Harvest Attacks, and other email-based threats. The Cloud Protection Layer serves as a first line of defense and blocks most threats from making it to your network firewall. This reduces your exposure to inbound threats and saves network bandwidth and storage space. Email Guard's on-premises security gateway appliance adds a further layer of analysis for inbound email. For outbound email, the local gateway provides anti-virus and anti-spam filtering, policy-based Data Loss Prevention, and email encryption. The local gateway can also help Exchange Server to monitor and safeguard internal email traffic that stays within your security perimeter. For more information, see Email Guard spam and content filtering.

• ProSight Duo Multi-Factor Authentication: Identity Validation, Endpoint Policy Enforcement, and Protected Single Sign-on
  Progent's Duo MFA services utilize Cisco's Duo technology to protect against stolen passwords by using two-factor authentication (2FA). Duo enables one-tap identity confirmation on iOS, Android, and other personal devices. Using 2FA, whenever you log into a protected online account and give your password you are requested to confirm who you are via a device that only you possess and that uses a different ("out-of-band") network channel. A broad range of out-of-band devices can be utilized for this second form of authentication including an iPhone or Android or watch, a hardware/software token, a landline phone, etc. You can register several verification devices. For details about ProSight Duo two-factor identity authentication services, go to Duo MFA two-factor authentication services.

• Outsourced/Co-managed Help Desk: Help Desk Managed Services
  Progent's Call Desk services enable your IT group to outsource Help Desk services to Progent or divide responsibilities for Help Desk services transparently between your in-house network support resources and Progent's nationwide roster of IT support engineers and subject matter experts (SMEs). Progent's Co-managed Service Desk offers a smooth extension of your corporate IT support organization. User interaction with the Service Desk, provision of support, escalation, trouble ticket creation and updates, efficiency measurement, and maintenance of the support database are cohesive regardless of whether issues are resolved by your corporate support resources, by Progent, or a mix of the two. Find out more about Progent's outsourced/co-managed Service Desk services.

• Progent Active Protection Against Ransomware: AI-based Ransomware Detection and Remediation
  Progent's Active Protection Against Ransomware is an endpoint protection service that utilizes cutting edge behavior analysis tools to guard endpoint devices and servers and VMs against modern malware attacks such as ransomware and file-less exploits, which routinely get by traditional signature-matching AV tools. Progent ASM services protect on-premises and cloud resources and offers a single platform to manage the complete threat lifecycle including protection, detection, containment, cleanup, and post-attack forensics. Key capabilities include single-click rollback with Windows VSS and automatic network-wide immunization against newly discovered attacks. Read more about Progent's ransomware defense and cleanup services.

• ProSight IT Asset Management: Network Documentation Management
  Progent's ProSight IT Asset Management service is an IT infrastructure documentation management service that allows you to capture, update, retrieve and safeguard information related to your IT infrastructure, processes, business apps, and services. You can quickly find passwords or serial numbers and be warned automatically about upcoming expirations of SSL certificates or domains. By cleaning up and organizing your IT documentation, you can eliminate as much as 50% of time thrown away looking for critical information about your network. ProSight IT Asset Management features a centralized repository for storing and collaborating on all documents related to managing your network infrastructure like standard operating procedures and How-To's. ProSight IT Asset Management also supports a high level of automation for collecting and relating IT data. Whether you're making improvements, doing regular maintenance, or responding to an emergency, ProSight IT Asset Management delivers the data you require when you need it. Read more about Progent's ProSight IT Asset Management service.

• Patch Management: Software/Firmware Update Management Services
  Progent's support services for patch management offer businesses of all sizes a flexible and cost-effective alternative for evaluating, validating, scheduling, implementing, and tracking software and firmware updates to your dynamic information network. In addition to optimizing the security and functionality of your computer environment, Progent's software/firmware update management services permit your in-house IT staff to concentrate on line-of-business initiatives and activities that deliver the highest business value from your information network. Find out more about Progent's patch management support services.

• ProSight Virtual Hosting: Hosted VMs at Progent's Tier III Data Center
  With Progent's ProSight Virtual Hosting service, a small business can have its key servers and applications hosted in a secure fault tolerant data center on a high-performance virtual machine host configured and managed by Progent's network support experts. Under the ProSight Virtual Hosting model, the client owns the data, the OS platforms, and the apps. Since the system is virtualized, it can be moved easily to a different hosting environment without requiring a time-consuming and technically risky configuration process. With ProSight Virtual Hosting, you are not locked into one hosting service. Find out more details about ProSight Virtual Hosting services.

• ProSight Active Security Monitoring: Endpoint Protection and Ransomware Defense
  Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring is an endpoint protection (EPP) service that incorporates SentinelOne's cutting edge behavior-based analysis tools to defend physical and virtual endpoint devices against modern malware assaults like ransomware and file-less exploits, which routinely get by traditional signature-based anti-virus products. ProSight ASM protects local and cloud-based resources and provides a single platform to automate the complete malware attack lifecycle including filtering, infiltration detection, mitigation, remediation, and forensics. Top features include single-click rollback with Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service and automatic system-wide immunization against new attacks. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, dealer, and integrator. Learn more about Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring (ASM) next-generation endpoint protection and ransomware recovery.

• ProSight Enhanced Security Protection: Endpoint Protection and Microsoft Exchange Email Filtering
  ProSight Enhanced Security Protection services offer economical multi-layer security for physical and virtual servers, desktops, mobile devices, and Microsoft Exchange. ProSight ESP utilizes contextual security and modern behavior analysis for round-the-clock monitoring and reacting to cyber threats from all vectors. ProSight ESP offers firewall protection, penetration alarms, device control, and web filtering via leading-edge technologies packaged within one agent managed from a unified control. Progent's security and virtualization consultants can assist your business to plan and implement a ProSight ESP deployment that meets your organization's specific requirements and that helps you achieve and demonstrate compliance with legal and industry data security standards. Progent will help you define and configure policies that ProSight ESP will manage, and Progent will monitor your IT environment and respond to alerts that require urgent attention. Progent can also assist your company to set up and verify a backup and restore solution like ProSight Data Protection Services so you can recover quickly from a destructive security attack like ransomware. Read more about Progent's ProSight Enhanced Security Protection (ESP) unified endpoint security and Microsoft Exchange email filtering.