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Ransomware : Your Crippling IT Disaster
Crypto-Ransomware has become an escalating cyber pandemic that represents an enterprise-level danger for businesses of all sizes poorly prepared for an attack. Different versions of ransomware such as CrySIS, WannaCry, Locky, Syskey and MongoLock cryptoworms have been running rampant for many years and still cause havoc. Recent variants of crypto-ransomware like Ryuk, Maze, Sodinokibi, DopplePaymer, LockBit or Egregor, plus more unnamed viruses, not only encrypt online critical data but also infiltrate any configured system backups. Data synched to off-site disaster recovery sites can also be corrupted. In a poorly designed environment, it can render any restore operations hopeless and effectively sets the network back to square one.

Getting back on-line services and information following a crypto-ransomware attack becomes a race against the clock as the targeted business fights to stop lateral movement, remove the ransomware, and restore business-critical activity. Since ransomware requires time to spread, assaults are usually sprung on weekends and holidays, when successful penetrations tend to take longer to discover. This multiplies the difficulty of quickly marshalling and organizing a capable response team.

Progent has a variety of services for protecting businesses from crypto-ransomware events. Among these are user education to help identify and avoid phishing exploits, ProSight Active Security Monitoring for remote monitoring and management, along with deployment of next-generation security gateways with machine learning capabilities from SentinelOne to detect and suppress new cyber attacks quickly. Progent also provides the assistance of veteran crypto-ransomware recovery professionals with the skills and perseverance to reconstruct a breached system as soon as possible.

Progent's Ransomware Recovery Support Services
Following a crypto-ransomware event, even paying the ransom demands in cryptocurrency does not provide any assurance that criminal gangs will respond with the keys to decrypt all your files. Kaspersky determined that seventeen percent of ransomware victims never restored their information after having sent off the ransom, resulting in increased losses. The risk is also very costly. Ryuk ransoms are commonly a few hundred thousand dollars. For larger enterprises, the ransom can reach millions of dollars. The alternative is to piece back together the vital components of your IT environment. Absent access to complete data backups, this calls for a wide range of skills, professional team management, and the capability to work 24x7 until the task is complete.

For two decades, Progent has made available expert IT services for businesses throughout the US and has achieved Microsoft's Partnership certification in the Datacenter and Cloud Productivity competencies. Progent's pool of subject matter experts (SMEs) includes professionals who have been awarded top certifications in important technologies like Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, and major distributions of Linux. Progent's cybersecurity engineers have garnered internationally-recognized industry certifications including CISM, CISSP-ISSAP, CRISC, GIAC, and CMMC 2.0. (Refer to Progent's certifications). Progent also has expertise in accounting and ERP application software. This breadth of expertise provides Progent the skills to rapidly identify important systems and consolidate the surviving components of your network environment after a ransomware penetration and rebuild them into an operational system.

Progent's recovery team has top notch project management systems to coordinate the complicated restoration process. Progent understands the importance of acting rapidly and in concert with a customer's management and IT team members to assign priority to tasks and to get the most important services back on line as soon as possible.

Client Case Study: A Successful Crypto-Ransomware Intrusion Recovery
A business escalated to Progent after their company was crashed by the Ryuk crypto-ransomware. Ryuk is generally considered to have been developed by Northern Korean government sponsored criminal gangs, suspected of using techniques leaked from the U.S. NSA organization. Ryuk targets specific businesses with limited room for disruption and is among the most lucrative instances of crypto-ransomware. Headline targets include Data Resolution, a California-based data warehousing and cloud computing business, and the Chicago Tribune. Progent's client is a small manufacturing business located in Chicago with about 500 staff members. The Ryuk penetration had brought down all essential operations and manufacturing capabilities. The majority of the client's data protection had been directly accessible at the start of the attack and were destroyed. The client was pursuing financing for paying the ransom demand (more than two hundred thousand dollars) and hoping for good luck, but in the end called Progent.

Progent worked hand in hand the customer to rapidly assess and prioritize the key systems that needed to be restored to make it possible to restart business operations:

• Windows Active Directory
• Microsoft Exchange Server
• Financials/MRP

Within 2 days, Progent was able to recover Windows Active Directory to its pre-penetration state. Progent then accomplished setup and storage recovery of mission critical servers. All Exchange Server schema and configuration information were intact, which facilitated the restore of Exchange. Progent was also able to locate local OST data files (Microsoft Outlook Off-Line Data Files) on staff PCs to recover email messages. A not too old offline backup of the customer's accounting software made it possible to restore these vital services back online. Although significant work remained to recover totally from the Ryuk damage, critical services were recovered rapidly:

During the next few weeks important milestones in the restoration process were made through tight collaboration between Progent engineers and the client:

• In-house web applications were brought back up without losing any information.
• The MailStore Microsoft Exchange Server exceeding 4 million archived emails was restored to operations and available for users.
• CRM/Orders/Invoicing/Accounts Payable/Accounts Receivables/Inventory Control capabilities were completely functional.
• A new Palo Alto Networks 850 security appliance was deployed.
• Most of the user desktops and notebooks were being used by staff.

Conclusion
A likely enterprise-killing disaster was dodged due to hard-working professionals, a wide spectrum of IT skills, and tight teamwork. Although in retrospect the ransomware virus incident described here would have been prevented with up-to-date cyber security technology and ISO/IEC 27001 best practices, team education, and appropriate incident response procedures for information protection and keeping systems up to date with security patches, the reality is that government-sponsored cybercriminals from China, Russia, North Korea and elsewhere are relentless and will continue. If you do get hit by a ransomware penetration, remember that Progent's roster of professionals has extensive experience in crypto-ransomware virus defense, remediation, and information systems restoration.

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

Additional Ransomware Protection Services Available from Progent
Progent can provide companies in Salt Lake City a range of remote monitoring and security evaluation services to help you to minimize your vulnerability to ransomware. These services incorporate modern AI technology to detect zero-day strains of ransomware that can evade traditional signature-based anti-virus 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 create advanced IT resilience. Progent handles the necessary monitoring and management for you, so your network expands easily without holding you back. For a low and predictable monthly price, Progent's full-service IT team can be your complete technology safety net. Entry-level plans include RMM, security, monthly patching, and reporting. As your needs grow, you can add low-cost subscriptions to advanced solutions such as SaaS M365/Google Workspace backup and restore, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), penetration testing, or WiFi management.

• ProSight LAN Watch: Server and Desktop Remote Monitoring
  ProSight LAN Watch is Progent's server and desktop remote monitoring service that incorporates advanced remote monitoring and management techniques to keep your network running efficiently by tracking the health of critical assets that drive your information system. When ProSight LAN Watch uncovers an issue, an alarm is sent automatically to your specified IT management staff and your Progent consultant so that any potential issues can be addressed before they have a chance to disrupt productivity. Find out more details about ProSight LAN Watch server and desktop remote monitoring services.

• ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM: Centralized RMM for Networks, Servers, and Desktops
  ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM software offers a centralized, cloud-driven solution for monitoring and managing your client-server infrastructure by providing an environment for streamlining common tedious tasks. These include health checking, update management, automated repairs, endpoint deployment, backup and restore, A/V protection, remote access, built-in and custom scripts, resource inventory, endpoint profile reports, and troubleshooting help. If ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM uncovers a serious problem, it transmits an alarm to your designated IT management personnel and your Progent technical consultant so potential problems can be fixed before they interfere with productivity. Find out more about ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM server and desktop monitoring services.

• ProSight WAN Watch: Infrastructure Remote Monitoring and Management
  ProSight WAN Watch is a network infrastructure monitoring and management service that makes it easy and inexpensive for smaller businesses to diagram, monitor, enhance and debug their networking appliances like routers, firewalls, and load balancers plus servers, printers, client computers and other devices. Incorporating state-of-the-art Remote Monitoring and Management technology, WAN Watch makes sure that infrastructure topology diagrams are always updated, captures and displays the configuration information of virtually all devices on your network, tracks performance, and sends notices when potential issues are detected. By automating complex network management processes, WAN Watch can knock hours off ordinary chores such as making network diagrams, expanding your network, locating devices that require important software patches, or resolving performance problems. Learn more about ProSight WAN Watch network infrastructure monitoring and management services.

• ProSight Reporting: Real-time and In-depth Reporting for Ticketing and Network Monitoring Applications
  ProSight Reporting is a growing suite of in-depth reporting utilities created to integrate with the industry's leading ticketing and remote network monitoring applications including ConnectWise Manage, ConnectWise Automate, Customer Thermometer, Auvik, and SentinelOne. ProSight Reporting incorporates Microsoft Graph and utilizes color coding to surface and contextualize critical issues like spotty support follow-through or machines with out-of-date AVs. By identifying ticketing or network health concerns concisely and in near-real time, ProSight Reporting improves productivity, lowers management hassle, and saves money. For more information, visit ProSight Reporting for ticketing and network monitoring applications.

• ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS): Backup and Disaster Recovery Services
  Progent has worked with advanced backup software providers to create ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS), a portfolio of subscription-based management outsourcing plans that provide backup-as-a-service. ProSight DPS services automate and monitor your data backup operations and enable transparent backup and fast restoration of vital files, applications, system images, and Hyper-V and VMware virtual machines. ProSight DPS helps you avoid data loss resulting from equipment breakdown, natural disasters, fire, cyber attacks like ransomware, user mistakes, malicious insiders, or software glitches. Managed backup services in the ProSight Data Protection Services portfolio include ProSight DPS Altaro VM Backup, ProSight 365 Total Backup (formerly Altaro 365 Backup), ProSight ECHO Backup based on Barracuda dedicated hardware, and ProSight MSP360 Hybrid Backup. Your Progent service representative can assist 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 and virus filtering and email encryption service that incorporates the technology of top information security companies to provide centralized management and comprehensive protection for your inbound and outbound email. The hybrid architecture of Email Guard managed service combines a Cloud Protection Layer with a local gateway appliance to provide complete protection against spam, viruses, Dos Attacks, DHAs, and other email-based malware. The Cloud Protection Layer acts as a first line of defense and blocks the vast majority of threats from making it to your security perimeter. This reduces your exposure to inbound threats and saves system bandwidth and storage space. Email Guard's onsite security gateway device provides a further layer of analysis for incoming email. For outbound email, the local security gateway offers anti-virus and anti-spam filtering, protection against data leaks, and email encryption. The onsite security gateway can also assist Microsoft Exchange Server to monitor and safeguard internal email that stays within your corporate firewall. For more information, visit Email Guard spam filtering and data leakage protection.

• ProSight Duo Two-Factor Authentication: Access Security, Endpoint Policy Enforcement, and Protected Single Sign-on
  Progent's Duo authentication service plans utilize Cisco's Duo technology to defend against password theft through the use of two-factor authentication. Duo enables one-tap identity verification with iOS, Android, and other personal devices. With 2FA, whenever you sign into a secured application and enter your password you are asked to verify your identity via a device that only you have and that uses a different network channel. A wide range of devices can be used as this second form of authentication including an iPhone or Android or watch, a hardware/software token, a landline telephone, etc. You may register several verification devices. For details about ProSight Duo two-factor identity validation services, go to Cisco Duo MFA two-factor authentication (2FA) services.

• Outsourced/Co-managed Help Center: Help Desk Managed Services
  Progent's Call Desk services allow your IT team to offload Help Desk services to Progent or split responsibilities for support services transparently between your internal network support group and Progent's nationwide roster of IT support engineers and subject matter experts. Progent's Co-managed Help Desk Service offers a transparent supplement to your in-house IT support staff. User interaction with the Help Desk, provision of technical assistance, issue escalation, trouble ticket creation and tracking, efficiency metrics, and maintenance of the service database are consistent regardless of whether issues are taken care of by your internal support resources, by Progent, or a mix of the two. Find out more about Progent's outsourced/shared Service Desk services.

• Progent Active Protection Against Ransomware: Machine Learning-based Ransomware Detection and Cleanup
  Progent's Active Protection Against Ransomware is an endpoint protection (EPP) solution that incorporates cutting edge behavior-based machine learning technology to defend endpoints as well as servers and VMs against modern malware assaults like ransomware and email phishing, which routinely evade traditional signature-matching anti-virus tools. Progent ASM services safeguard on-premises and cloud-based resources and offers a single platform to automate the complete malware attack progression including filtering, identification, mitigation, remediation, and forensics. Key features include one-click rollback with Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) and automatic system-wide immunization against new attacks. Read more about Progent's ransomware defense and recovery services.

• ProSight IT Asset Management: Network Documentation Management
  ProSight IT Asset Management service is a cloud-based IT documentation management service that makes it easy to capture, update, retrieve and protect information related to your IT infrastructure, processes, business apps, and services. You can instantly find passwords or serial numbers and be alerted automatically about impending expirations of SSL certificates or domains. By updating and managing your IT infrastructure documentation, you can save up to half of time spent trying to find vital information about your IT network. ProSight IT Asset Management includes a common repository for storing and collaborating on all documents required for managing your network infrastructure such as recommended procedures and self-service instructions. ProSight IT Asset Management also offers a high level of automation for gathering and relating IT information. Whether you're making enhancements, doing maintenance, or reacting to an emergency, ProSight IT Asset Management gets you the knowledge you require when you need it. Learn more about Progent's ProSight IT Asset Management service.

• Patch Management: Software/Firmware Update Management Services
  Progent's support services for software and firmware patch management offer organizations of any size a versatile and cost-effective alternative for assessing, testing, scheduling, implementing, and documenting updates to your ever-evolving information network. In addition to optimizing the protection and reliability of your computer environment, Progent's patch management services permit your in-house IT staff to concentrate on line-of-business initiatives and tasks that derive maximum business value from your information network. Read more about Progent's software/firmware update management support services.

• ProSight Virtual Hosting: Hosted Virtual Machines at Progent's World-class Data Center
  With ProSight Virtual Hosting service, a small or mid-size organization can have its critical servers and apps hosted in a secure fault tolerant data center on a high-performance virtual host configured and maintained by Progent's IT support professionals. Under the ProSight Virtual Hosting service model, the client owns the data, the operating system platforms, and the apps. Because the environment is virtualized, it can be moved easily to an alternate hardware solution without a lengthy and difficult reinstallation procedure. With ProSight Virtual Hosting, you are not locked into one hosting provider. Learn more 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 cutting edge behavior machine learning tools to defend physical and virtual endpoints against new malware attacks like ransomware and email phishing, which easily escape traditional signature-based AV products. ProSight Active Security Monitoring protects on-premises and cloud resources and provides a unified platform to automate the complete malware attack progression including blocking, identification, mitigation, remediation, and post-attack forensics. Top capabilities include single-click rollback with Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service and real-time system-wide immunization against newly discovered attacks. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, reseller, and integrator. Learn more about Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring endpoint protection and ransomware recovery.

• ProSight Enhanced Security Protection (ESP): Physical and Virtual Endpoint Protection and Exchange Filtering
  Progent's ProSight Enhanced Security Protection managed services deliver economical multi-layer protection for physical servers and VMs, desktops, smartphones, and Exchange email. ProSight ESP utilizes adaptive security and advanced heuristics for round-the-clock monitoring and responding to security assaults from all vectors. ProSight ESP delivers two-way firewall protection, intrusion alerts, endpoint management, and web filtering via leading-edge technologies incorporated within one agent accessible from a unified control. Progent's data protection and virtualization experts can assist you to plan and configure a ProSight ESP environment that meets your company's unique requirements and that helps you achieve and demonstrate compliance with legal and industry information protection standards. Progent will assist you specify and implement security policies that ProSight ESP will manage, and Progent will monitor your network and respond to alarms that call for urgent attention. Progent can also help you to set up and verify a backup and restore system like ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS) so you can get back in business rapidly from a destructive security attack such as ransomware. Learn more about Progent's ProSight Enhanced Security Protection (ESP) unified endpoint protection and Microsoft Exchange filtering.