New Orleans 24/7/365 Immediate Ransomware
Malware Identification and Repair Experts

Crypto-Ransomware : Your Worst Information Technology Disaster
Crypto-Ransomware has become an escalating cyberplague that represents an extinction-level danger for businesses of all sizes unprepared for an attack. Multiple generations of ransomware such as CryptoLocker, Fusob, Bad Rabbit, Syskey and MongoLock cryptoworms have been replicating for a long time and still inflict destruction. More recent versions of ransomware such as Ryuk, Maze, Sodinokibi, DopplePaymer, LockBit or Egregor, plus daily as yet unnamed malware, not only encrypt on-line critical data but also infect many accessible system backup. Files synchronized to the cloud can also be encrypted. In a poorly designed data protection solution, it can make automatic restore operations useless and effectively sets the network back to square one.

Getting back services and information following a ransomware event becomes a race against time as the victim struggles to contain the damage, eradicate the ransomware, and resume enterprise-critical operations. Because ransomware takes time to replicate, penetrations are usually sprung on weekends and holidays, when successful attacks are likely to take more time to recognize. This multiplies the difficulty of promptly marshalling and orchestrating a knowledgeable response team.

Progent provides a range of services for protecting enterprises from ransomware attacks. These include staff education to help identify and not fall victim to phishing scams, ProSight Active Security Monitoring for remote monitoring and management, plus deployment of modern security solutions with machine learning capabilities from SentinelOne to detect and suppress new threats rapidly. Progent in addition offers the assistance of veteran ransomware recovery engineers with the track record and commitment to re-deploy a compromised network as soon as possible.

Progent's Ransomware Restoration Services
After a ransomware event, paying the ransom demands in cryptocurrency does not ensure that criminal gangs will respond with the codes to unencrypt any of your information. Kaspersky Labs determined that 17% of crypto-ransomware victims never restored their information after having paid the ransom, resulting in additional losses. The gamble is also expensive. Ryuk ransoms are commonly several hundred thousand dollars. For larger organizations, the ransom demand can reach millions of dollars. The alternative is to re-install the mission-critical elements of your IT environment. Without the availability of complete system backups, this calls for a broad complement of skills, professional team management, and the capability to work continuously until the job is done.

For two decades, Progent has made available certified expert Information Technology services for companies across 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 engineers who have attained advanced certifications in leading technologies including Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, and popular distributions of Linux. Progent's cyber security engineers have garnered internationally-renowned industry certifications including CISM, CISSP, CRISC, GIAC, and CMMC 2.0. (Visit Progent's certifications). Progent also has experience in accounting and ERP application software. This breadth of expertise affords Progent the skills to efficiently ascertain critical systems and organize the remaining components of your network system following a ransomware attack and assemble them into an operational network.

Progent's security group uses top notch project management tools to orchestrate the complex recovery process. Progent understands the importance of working rapidly and together with a customer's management and IT resources to prioritize tasks and to put essential applications back online as fast as possible.

Client Story: A Successful Ransomware Penetration Restoration
A small business engaged Progent after their network was taken over by the Ryuk ransomware virus. Ryuk is thought to have been launched by Northern Korean state criminal gangs, possibly adopting strategies exposed from the United States National Security Agency. Ryuk goes after specific businesses with limited room for disruption and is among the most lucrative examples of ransomware malware. Major organizations include Data Resolution, a California-based data warehousing and cloud computing company, and the Chicago Tribune. Progent's customer is a regional manufacturing business based in the Chicago metro area and has about 500 staff members. The Ryuk intrusion had frozen all essential operations and manufacturing capabilities. The majority of the client's data protection had been on-line at the beginning of the intrusion and were destroyed. The client was pursuing financing for paying the ransom (exceeding $200K) and wishfully thinking for good luck, but ultimately engaged Progent.

Progent worked with the client to quickly assess and assign priority to the critical systems that had to be recovered in order to restart departmental operations:

• Microsoft Active Directory
• Microsoft Exchange Email
• Accounting and Manufacturing Software

In less than two days, Progent was able to re-build Windows Active Directory to its pre-virus state. Progent then initiated rebuilding and storage recovery of needed systems. All Exchange Server ties and attributes were intact, which accelerated the restore of Exchange. Progent was also able to collect local OST files (Outlook Offline Folder Files) on various workstations in order to recover email information. A not too old offline backup of the customer's financials/ERP software made it possible to restore these vital programs back available to users. Although significant work needed to be completed to recover fully from the Ryuk event, core services were returned to operations rapidly:

Throughout the next month key milestones in the restoration process were achieved in tight collaboration between Progent engineers and the client:

• In-house web sites were returned to operation without losing any information.
• The MailStore Microsoft Exchange Server with over four million historical emails was restored to operations and available for users.
• CRM/Product Ordering/Invoicing/AP/Accounts Receivables/Inventory capabilities were fully operational.
• A new Palo Alto 850 security appliance was brought online.
• 90% of the desktop computers were fully operational.

Conclusion
A likely enterprise-killing disaster was evaded due to dedicated professionals, a broad range of knowledge, and tight collaboration. Although upon completion of forensics the crypto-ransomware virus incident detailed here would have been blocked with modern security solutions and recognized best practices, user and IT administrator training, and well thought out security procedures for backup and applying software patches, the fact is that state-sponsored criminal cyber gangs from China, North Korea and elsewhere are tireless and are not going away. If you do get hit by a ransomware attack, feel confident that Progent's roster of experts has substantial experience in ransomware virus defense, remediation, and data disaster recovery.

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

Additional Ransomware Protection Services Offered by Progent
Progent can provide companies in New Orleans a range of remote monitoring and security assessment services to assist you to minimize the threat from ransomware. These services utilize next-generation AI technology to detect new strains of ransomware that are able to evade traditional signature-based anti-virus solutions.

• ProSight Managed Service Plans: for Small to Mid-size Businesses
  Progent's ProSight Managed IT Service Plans make it possible for small and mid-size businesses to deploy Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) technology to achieve leading-edge network resilience. Progent handles the necessary monitoring and management for you, so your network expands smoothly without holding you back. For a low and predictable monthly subscription, Progent's experienced IT group can be your complete technology safety net. Entry-level packages include remote monitoring and management (RMM), cybersecurity, automatic monthly patching, and reporting. As your needs grow, you can add low-cost subscriptions to best-in-class options such as SaaS M365/Google Workspace backup, Multi-Factor Authentication, penetration testing, or WiFi management.

• ProSight LAN Watch: Server and Desktop Monitoring
  ProSight LAN Watch is Progent's server and desktop monitoring managed service that uses advanced remote monitoring and management techniques to keep your IT system running efficiently by tracking the state of critical computers that power your information system. When ProSight LAN Watch uncovers a problem, an alert is sent automatically to your designated IT personnel and your Progent engineering consultant so that any potential issues can be addressed before they have a chance to impact productivity. Find out more about ProSight LAN Watch server and desktop monitoring services.

• ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM: Centralized RMM for Networks, Servers, and Workstations
  ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM software offers a unified, cloud-based platform for monitoring and managing your client-server infrastructure by offering tools for streamlining common tedious jobs. These can include health checking, patch management, automated repairs, endpoint deployment, backup and restore, anti-virus defense, remote access, standard and custom scripts, resource inventory, endpoint status reports, and debugging support. 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 that emerging problems can be taken care of before they impact your network. Find out more about ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM server and desktop remote 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, monitor, reconfigure and debug their networking hardware such as switches, firewalls, and wireless controllers as well as servers, printers, client computers and other networked devices. Using state-of-the-art RMM technology, ProSight WAN Watch ensures that infrastructure topology diagrams are kept current, copies and manages the configuration of virtually all devices on your network, tracks performance, and sends notices when issues are detected. By automating complex management processes, ProSight WAN Watch can cut hours off common tasks such as network mapping, expanding your network, finding appliances that need critical software patches, or identifying the cause of performance issues. Find out more details about ProSight WAN Watch network infrastructure monitoring and management consulting.

• ProSight Reporting: Real-time and In-depth Reporting for Ticketing and Network Monitoring Platforms
  ProSight Reporting is a growing family of in-depth management reporting plug-ins created to work with the industry's leading ticketing and network monitoring platforms such as ConnectWise Manage, ConnectWise Automate, Customer Thermometer, Auvik, and SentinelOne. ProSight Reporting incorporates Microsoft Graph and utilizes color coding to highlight and contextualize critical issues like spotty support follow-up or machines with missing patches. By exposing ticketing or network health concerns clearly and in near-real time, ProSight Reporting enhances network value, lowers management overhead, and saves money. For details, visit ProSight Reporting for ticketing and network monitoring applications.

• ProSight Data Protection Services: Managed Backup and Disaster Recovery Services
  Progent has partnered with advanced backup/restore software providers to create ProSight Data Protection Services, a selection of management offerings that deliver backup-as-a-service (BaaS). ProSight DPS products manage and monitor your backup processes and enable transparent backup and fast recovery of important files/folders, apps, system images, plus virtual machines. ProSight DPS helps you recover from data loss caused by equipment breakdown, natural calamities, fire, cyber attacks like ransomware, human mistakes, malicious insiders, or software glitches. Managed services available in the ProSight DPS product family 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 MSP360 Hybrid Backup. Your Progent expert can help you to determine which of these managed services are most appropriate for your network.

• 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 web-based control and world-class protection for all your inbound and outbound email. The powerful structure of Email Guard managed service integrates cloud-based filtering with a local security gateway appliance to offer complete defense against spam, viruses, Dos Attacks, Directory Harvest Attacks, and other email-based threats. The Cloud Protection Layer acts as a first line of defense and keeps the vast majority of unwanted email from reaching your security perimeter. This decreases your exposure to external attacks and saves network bandwidth and storage. Email Guard's on-premises security gateway appliance adds a deeper layer of inspection for inbound email. For outgoing email, the local security gateway provides anti-virus and anti-spam filtering, DLP, and email encryption. The onsite gateway can also assist Exchange Server to track and safeguard internal email traffic that originates and ends inside your security perimeter. For more details, see Email Guard spam filtering and data leakage protection.

• ProSight Duo Two-Factor Authentication: Access Security, Endpoint Policy Enforcement, and Protected Single Sign-on (SSO)
  Progent's Duo MFA services incorporate Cisco's Duo cloud technology to protect against stolen passwords by using two-factor authentication. Duo enables one-tap identity verification on Apple iOS, Google Android, and other out-of-band devices. Using 2FA, when you log into a protected online account and enter your password you are asked to confirm who you are via a unit that only you possess and that is accessed using a different ("out-of-band") network channel. A broad range of out-of-band devices can be used for this added form of authentication including an iPhone or Android or wearable, a hardware/software token, a landline telephone, etc. You can register multiple validation devices. For more information about Duo two-factor identity authentication services, see Cisco Duo MFA two-factor authentication services for access security.

• Progent's Outsourced/Shared Help Desk: Help Desk Managed Services
  Progent's Call Center managed services enable your IT team to offload Support Desk services to Progent or split activity for Service Desk support seamlessly between your in-house network support group and Progent's extensive pool of IT support engineers and subject matter experts (SMEs). Progent's Co-managed Help Desk Service provides a transparent extension of your core IT support resources. Client access to the Help Desk, delivery of support, issue escalation, trouble ticket creation and updates, efficiency metrics, and management of the support database are cohesive whether issues are resolved by your in-house network support group, by Progent's team, or by a combination. Find out more about Progent's outsourced/co-managed Service Desk services.

• Progent Active Protection Against Ransomware: AI-based Ransomware Detection and Cleanup
  Progent's Active Defense Against Ransomware is an endpoint protection (EPP) service that utilizes cutting edge behavior-based analysis tools to defend endpoint devices as well as physical and virtual servers against new malware attacks such as ransomware and file-less exploits, which routinely escape legacy signature-matching anti-virus products. Progent ASM services protect on-premises and cloud-based resources and offers a single platform to address the entire threat progression including blocking, detection, containment, cleanup, and forensics. Top features include one-click rollback using Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) and real-time network-wide immunization against new threats. Learn more about Progent's ransomware defense and recovery services.

• ProSight IT Asset Management: Network Documentation Management
  Progent's ProSight IT Asset Management service is an IT infrastructure documentation management service that makes it easy to capture, maintain, retrieve and protect data about your IT infrastructure, processes, applications, and services. You can instantly locate passwords or IP addresses and be alerted about upcoming expirations of SSL certificates or warranties. By cleaning up and organizing your IT documentation, you can eliminate up to half of time spent searching for vital information about your IT network. ProSight IT Asset Management includes a centralized repository for holding and collaborating on all documents required for managing your business network such as standard operating procedures (SOPs) and self-service instructions. ProSight IT Asset Management also supports a high level of automation for gathering and associating IT information. Whether you're planning improvements, performing regular maintenance, or reacting to an emergency, ProSight IT Asset Management gets you the data you need the instant you need it. Learn more about Progent's ProSight IT Asset Management service.

• Progent's Patch Management: Software/Firmware Update Management Services
  Progent's managed services for patch management offer organizations of all sizes a flexible and affordable alternative for evaluating, testing, scheduling, implementing, and tracking software and firmware updates to your dynamic information system. In addition to optimizing the security and functionality of your IT network, Progent's software/firmware update management services permit your IT team to concentrate on more strategic initiatives and activities 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 Tier III Data Center
  With Progent's ProSight Virtual Hosting service, a small or mid-size business can have its key servers and apps hosted in a protected Tier III data center on a high-performance virtual machine host configured and maintained by Progent's IT support professionals. With the ProSight Virtual Hosting service model, the client retains ownership of the data, the OS platforms, and the applications. Since the system is virtualized, it can be moved easily to a different hardware solution without requiring a lengthy and technically risky reinstallation procedure. With ProSight Virtual Hosting, your business is not tied one hosting provider. Find out more about ProSight Virtual Hosting services.

• ProSight Active Security Monitoring: Endpoint Protection and Ransomware Defense
  Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring is an endpoint protection solution that incorporates SentinelOne's cutting edge behavior machine learning technology to guard physical and virtual endpoint devices against new malware attacks such as ransomware and email phishing, which routinely evade traditional signature-matching AV tools. ProSight ASM safeguards local and cloud-based resources and provides a unified platform to manage the complete malware attack progression including protection, detection, mitigation, cleanup, and forensics. Key capabilities include one-click rollback with Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) and automatic network-wide immunization against newly discovered threats. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, reseller, and integrator. Find out more about Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring (ASM) endpoint protection and ransomware recovery.

• ProSight Enhanced Security Protection: Physical and Virtual Endpoint Security and Exchange Email Filtering
  ProSight Enhanced Security Protection services offer ultra-affordable in-depth security for physical servers and VMs, workstations, mobile devices, and Exchange Server. ProSight ESP uses contextual security and advanced heuristics for continuously monitoring and responding to security threats from all attack vectors. ProSight ESP delivers firewall protection, intrusion alarms, endpoint management, and web filtering via cutting-edge technologies packaged within one agent managed from a unified control. Progent's security and virtualization consultants can assist you to design 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 protection regulations. Progent will assist you specify and implement security policies that ProSight ESP will manage, and Progent will monitor your network and respond to alerts that require immediate attention. Progent's consultants can also assist you to install and verify a backup and restore solution 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 unified endpoint security and Exchange email filtering.