24x7 Hialeah Urgent Ransomware
Computer Malware Identification and Restoration Consulting

Ransomware : Your Crippling IT Disaster
Ransomware has become a modern cyber pandemic that poses an extinction-level threat for businesses vulnerable to an attack. Different iterations of ransomware like the Reveton, WannaCry, Locky, SamSam and MongoLock cryptoworms have been out in the wild for many years and continue to inflict harm. Newer strains of crypto-ransomware like Ryuk, Maze, Sodinokibi, DopplePaymer, Conti or Nephilim, as well as frequent unnamed viruses, not only do encryption of online critical data but also infect all available system backup. Data synched to the cloud can also be held hostage. In a vulnerable system, it can make any restore operations useless and basically knocks the datacenter back to square one.

Getting back on-line programs and data after a ransomware outage becomes a race against the clock as the targeted organization tries its best to stop lateral movement, cleanup the crypto-ransomware, and resume enterprise-critical operations. Because crypto-ransomware needs time to spread, assaults are frequently sprung at night, when attacks in many cases take longer to discover. This compounds the difficulty of promptly assembling and coordinating an experienced mitigation team.

Progent has an assortment of services for securing organizations from crypto-ransomware events. These include user training to help recognize and not fall victim to phishing scams, ProSight Active Security Monitoring for remote monitoring and management, plus deployment of modern security solutions with artificial intelligence technology from SentinelOne to identify and disable zero-day cyber attacks rapidly. Progent in addition can provide the assistance of veteran crypto-ransomware recovery engineers with the track record and commitment to re-deploy a breached system as rapidly as possible.

Progent's Crypto-Ransomware Recovery Services
Subsequent to a ransomware penetration, even paying the ransom demands in cryptocurrency does not guarantee that cyber criminals will return the needed keys to unencrypt any or all of your files. Kaspersky Labs estimated that seventeen percent of ransomware victims never recovered their information even after having paid the ransom, resulting in more losses. The gamble is also costly. Ryuk ransoms are often a few hundred thousand dollars. For larger enterprises, the ransom can be in the millions. The other path is to piece back together the critical components of your Information Technology environment. Absent the availability of full data backups, this requires a wide complement of skill sets, professional team management, and the capability to work continuously until the task is completed.

For two decades, Progent has provided professional Information Technology services for companies throughout the United States and has earned Microsoft's Partnership certification in the Datacenter and Cloud Productivity competencies. Progent's pool of subject matter experts (SMEs) includes consultants who have been awarded top certifications in foundation technologies such as Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, and popular distributions of Linux. Progent's cyber security engineers have earned internationally-renowned industry certifications including CISM, CISSP-ISSAP, ISACA CRISC, GIAC, and CMMC 2.0. (See Progent's certifications). Progent in addition has experience with accounting and ERP application software. This breadth of expertise provides Progent the skills to efficiently understand necessary systems and re-organize the remaining components of your network environment following a ransomware attack and assemble them into an operational network.

Progent's ransomware group deploys best of breed project management applications to coordinate the complicated recovery process. Progent appreciates the urgency of acting swiftly and in unison with a customer's management and IT staff to prioritize tasks and to put the most important applications back online as fast as possible.

Customer Story: A Successful Ransomware Incident Recovery
A client escalated to Progent after their organization was penetrated by Ryuk ransomware. Ryuk is thought to have been deployed by Northern Korean government sponsored hackers, possibly adopting techniques exposed from America's NSA organization. Ryuk attacks specific organizations with little or no tolerance for disruption and is among the most profitable versions of ransomware. Well Known organizations include Data Resolution, a California-based data warehousing and cloud computing business, and the Chicago Tribune. Progent's client is a single-location manufacturer located in Chicago and has around 500 workers. The Ryuk penetration had frozen all essential operations and manufacturing processes. Most of the client's information backups had been directly accessible at the start of the intrusion and were encrypted. The client was taking steps for paying the ransom (more than $200,000) and hoping for good luck, but in the end called Progent.

Progent worked with the client to rapidly understand and assign priority to the essential applications that had to be restored in order to resume company operations:

• Active Directory (AD)
• E-Mail
• Financials/MRP

In less than 2 days, Progent was able to recover Active Directory services to its pre-penetration state. Progent then helped perform setup and storage recovery of critical applications. All Microsoft Exchange Server data and attributes were intact, which facilitated the rebuild of Exchange. Progent was able to collect local OST files (Outlook Email Off-Line Data Files) on staff desktop computers in order to recover email data. A recent off-line backup of the businesses accounting software made them able to restore these vital services back on-line. Although major work still had to be done to recover completely from the Ryuk attack, core services were recovered quickly:

During the following couple of weeks critical milestones in the recovery project were achieved in tight collaboration between Progent team members and the customer:

• In-house web applications were restored without losing any information.
• The MailStore Server containing more than four million archived emails was spun up and available for users.
• CRM/Orders/Invoices/Accounts Payable (AP)/AR/Inventory functions were fully operational.
• A new Palo Alto Networks 850 security appliance was brought on-line.
• 90% of the user workstations were being used by staff.

Conclusion
A probable enterprise-killing catastrophe was avoided with dedicated experts, a broad array of IT skills, and tight teamwork. Although in post mortem the crypto-ransomware attack detailed here could have been prevented with advanced security systems and recognized best practices, staff training, and well thought out security procedures for backup and proper patching controls, the reality remains that government-sponsored cyber criminals from Russia, China and elsewhere are relentless and will continue. If you do fall victim to a ransomware virus, feel confident that Progent's roster of experts has extensive experience in ransomware virus blocking, cleanup, and data recovery.

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

Additional Ransomware Protection Services Offered by Progent
Progent offers companies in Hialeah a variety of online monitoring and security assessment services designed to help you to reduce your vulnerability to crypto-ransomware. These services incorporate modern machine learning technology to detect new variants of crypto-ransomware that are able to escape detection by traditional signature-based security solutions.

• ProSight Managed Service Packages: for Small to Mid-size Businesses
  Progent's ProSight Managed IT Service Plans make it practical for small and mid-size companies to deploy Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) technology to achieve advanced IT resilience. Progent handles the daily monitoring and maintenance for you, so your system scales easily without becoming an obstacle. For an affordable and predictable monthly price, Progent's experienced IT group can be your complete technology safety net. Basic plans include RMM, cybersecurity, automatic monthly patching, and reporting. As your needs grow, you can add low-cost subscriptions to best-of-breed options like as SaaS M365/Google Workspace backup, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), pen testing, or WiFi management.

• ProSight LAN Watch: Server and Desktop Monitoring
  ProSight LAN Watch is Progent's server and desktop monitoring service that uses advanced remote monitoring and management (RMM) techniques to keep your network running at peak levels by tracking the state of vital computers that drive your information system. When ProSight LAN Watch detects an issue, an alarm is transmitted automatically to your designated IT staff and your Progent consultant so any potential problems can be resolved before they can disrupt your network. Find out more details about ProSight LAN Watch server and desktop remote monitoring services.

• ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM: Unified RMM Solution for Networks, Servers, and Desktops
  ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM software delivers a unified, cloud-based solution for managing your network, server, and desktop devices by providing tools for performing common time-consuming jobs. These can include health checking, patch management, automated repairs, endpoint deployment, backup and recovery, anti-virus response, secure remote access, standard and custom scripts, resource inventory, endpoint profile reporting, and troubleshooting support. When ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM uncovers a serious incident, it transmits an alert to your designated IT management personnel and your assigned Progent consultant so potential problems can be taken care of before they impact your network. Learn more about ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM server and desktop monitoring consulting.

• ProSight WAN Watch: Infrastructure Remote Monitoring and Management
  ProSight WAN Watch is an infrastructure monitoring and management service that makes it simple and inexpensive for small and mid-sized organizations to map out, monitor, enhance and troubleshoot their connectivity hardware like switches, firewalls, and access points plus servers, printers, client computers and other networked devices. Incorporating state-of-the-art Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) technology, ProSight WAN Watch ensures that network maps are always current, captures and displays the configuration of virtually all devices on your network, monitors performance, and sends notices when problems are detected. By automating complex management activities, ProSight WAN Watch can cut hours off common chores such as making network diagrams, expanding your network, finding appliances that require critical software patches, or resolving performance problems. Learn more about ProSight WAN Watch network infrastructure monitoring and management consulting.

• ProSight Reporting: Real-time Reporting for Ticketing and Network Monitoring Applications
  ProSight Reporting is an expanding family of real-time management reporting plug-ins created to work with the top ticketing and network monitoring programs 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 inconsistent support follow-up or machines with missing patches. By identifying ticketing or network health concerns clearly and in near-real time, ProSight Reporting enhances productivity, lowers management overhead, and saves money. For details, see ProSight Reporting for ticketing and network monitoring applications.

• ProSight Data Protection Services: Managed Backup and Recovery Services
  Progent has worked with leading backup software companies to create ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS), a portfolio of subscription-based management offerings that deliver backup-as-a-service. ProSight DPS services manage and monitor your data backup operations and allow transparent backup and rapid recovery of vital files, applications, system images, and VMs. ProSight DPS lets your business protect against data loss caused by equipment failures, natural calamities, fire, malware like ransomware, human mistakes, ill-intentioned insiders, or application bugs. Managed backup services in the ProSight Data Protection Services product line include ProSight DPS Altaro VM Backup, ProSight 365 Total Backup (formerly Altaro 365 Backup), ProSight DPS ECHO Backup based on Barracuda dedicated storage, and ProSight DPS MSP360 Cloud and On-prem Backup. Your Progent expert can assist you to identify which of these fully managed backup services are most appropriate for your IT environment.

• ProSight Email Guard: Inbound and Outbound Spam Filtering and Data Leakage Protection
  ProSight Email Guard is Progent's spam filtering service that uses the infrastructure of top information security vendors to deliver centralized management and world-class security for your inbound and outbound email. The hybrid structure of Progent's Email Guard combines a Cloud Protection Layer with a local security gateway device to provide advanced defense against spam, viruses, Denial of Service (DoS) Attacks, Directory Harvest Attacks (DHAs), and other email-based malware. The cloud filter acts as a first line of defense and blocks the vast majority of unwanted email from reaching your network firewall. This reduces your exposure to external threats and conserves network bandwidth and storage space. Email Guard's onsite security gateway appliance adds a further level of inspection for inbound email. For outbound email, the local gateway offers anti-virus and anti-spam protection, DLP, and email encryption. The on-premises security gateway can also assist Microsoft Exchange Server to monitor and safeguard internal email that stays within your corporate firewall. For more information, visit ProSight Email Guard spam and content filtering.

• ProSight Duo Two-Factor Authentication: Access Security, Endpoint Policy Enforcement, and Protected Single Sign-on (SSO)
  Progent's Duo MFA managed services utilize Cisco's Duo cloud technology to protect against compromised passwords through the use of two-factor authentication (2FA). Duo enables single-tap identity verification with iOS, Google Android, and other out-of-band devices. With 2FA, when you log into a protected application and give your password you are asked to verify who you are via a unit that only you possess and that is accessed using a different network channel. A broad selection of out-of-band devices can be utilized as this added form of authentication such as an iPhone or Android or wearable, a hardware token, a landline telephone, etc. You can register several verification devices. To find out more about ProSight Duo identity validation services, go to Duo MFA two-factor authentication (2FA) services.

• Progent's Outsourced/Shared Help Desk: Support Desk Managed Services
  Progent's Support Center managed services enable your IT group to offload Help Desk services to Progent or split activity for Help Desk services seamlessly between your in-house network support staff and Progent's nationwide roster of IT service engineers and subject matter experts. Progent's Co-managed Service Desk offers a transparent supplement to your in-house support staff. End user access to the Service Desk, delivery of support services, issue escalation, ticket creation and updates, efficiency measurement, and maintenance of the service database are consistent regardless of whether incidents are taken care of by your corporate IT support group, by Progent, or a mix of the two. Read more about Progent's outsourced/co-managed Service Center services.

• Progent Active Protection Against Ransomware: AI-based Ransomware Detection and Cleanup
  Progent's Active Defense Against Ransomware is an endpoint protection (EPP) solution that incorporates next generation behavior-based machine learning tools to defend endpoints as well as servers and VMs against new malware assaults such as ransomware and file-less exploits, which routinely escape legacy signature-based anti-virus products. Progent ASM services safeguard local and cloud resources and provides a unified platform to address the complete threat lifecycle including blocking, infiltration detection, containment, remediation, and post-attack forensics. Key features include one-click rollback using Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service and real-time system-wide immunization against newly discovered threats. Find out more about Progent's ransomware defense and cleanup 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 safeguard data related to your IT infrastructure, procedures, applications, and services. You can instantly locate passwords or serial numbers and be alerted automatically about impending expirations of SSL certificates or domains. By updating and organizing your IT documentation, you can eliminate up to half of time thrown away looking for vital information about your IT network. ProSight IT Asset Management features a common repository for holding and sharing all documents required for managing your network infrastructure like standard operating procedures (SOPs) and self-service instructions. ProSight IT Asset Management also offers a high level of automation for gathering and relating IT data. Whether you're making enhancements, performing regular maintenance, or responding to a crisis, ProSight IT Asset Management gets you the knowledge you require as soon as you need it. Find out more about ProSight IT Asset Management service.

• Patch Management: Patch Management Services
  Progent's support services for software and firmware patch management provide businesses of all sizes a versatile and cost-effective solution for assessing, validating, scheduling, applying, and documenting software and firmware updates to your ever-evolving information network. Besides optimizing the protection and reliability of your IT network, Progent's patch management services allow your IT staff to concentrate on line-of-business initiatives and activities that deliver maximum business value from your network. Read more about Progent's software/firmware update management support services.

• ProSight Virtual Hosting: Hosted Virtual Machines 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 Tier III data center on a high-performance virtual machine host set up and managed by Progent's IT support experts. With Progent's ProSight Virtual Hosting service model, the customer retains ownership of the data, the operating system software, and the apps. Since the system is virtualized, it can be ported immediately to an alternate hosting solution without requiring a lengthy and difficult configuration procedure. With ProSight Virtual Hosting, your business is not locked into one hosting service. Find out more about ProSight Virtual Hosting services.

• ProSight Active Security Monitoring: Endpoint Protection and Ransomware Defense
  ProSight Active Security Monitoring is an endpoint protection solution that incorporates SentinelOne's next generation behavior analysis technology to guard physical and virtual endpoints against new malware assaults such as ransomware and file-less exploits, which easily get by legacy signature-based anti-virus tools. ProSight ASM safeguards on-premises and cloud resources and provides a single platform to manage the complete malware attack progression including filtering, identification, containment, remediation, and post-attack forensics. Top capabilities include single-click rollback using Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) 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 endpoint protection and ransomware defense.

• ProSight Enhanced Security Protection: Endpoint Security and Exchange Filtering
  Progent's ProSight Enhanced Security Protection managed services deliver affordable multi-layer security for physical servers and VMs, workstations, smartphones, and Exchange Server. ProSight ESP utilizes adaptive security and modern behavior analysis for round-the-clock monitoring and reacting to security assaults from all vectors. ProSight ESP provides two-way firewall protection, intrusion alarms, device control, and web filtering through cutting-edge tools packaged within one agent accessible from a unified control. Progent's security and virtualization consultants can assist your business to plan and configure a ProSight ESP deployment that meets your company's unique needs and that allows you prove compliance with government and industry information security regulations. Progent will help you specify and implement security policies that ProSight ESP will manage, and Progent will monitor your IT environment and respond to alarms that call for urgent action. Progent can also assist you to set up and test a backup and restore system such as ProSight Data Protection Services so you can get back in business rapidly from a destructive cyber attack like ransomware. Find out more about Progent's ProSight Enhanced Security Protection (ESP) unified endpoint protection and Microsoft Exchange email filtering.