Pittsburgh Ransomware Defense and Removal Consulting

Ransomware Hot Line: 800-462-8800

24x7 Online Help from a Top-tier Ransomware Engineer
Ransomware needs time to work its way across a network. Because of this, ransomware attacks are commonly unleashed on weekends and late at night, when support personnel are likely to be slower to recognize a penetration and are less able to organize a rapid and coordinated defense. The more lateral movement ransomware is able to make within a victim's network, the longer it takes to recover basic operations and scrambled files and the more data can be exfiltrated to the dark web.

Progent's Ransomware Hot Line is designed to help organizations to take the time-critical first phase in responding to a ransomware attack by putting out the fire. Progent's online ransomware experts can help organizations in the Pittsburgh metro area to identify and quarantine infected devices and protect clean assets from being penetrated.

If your network has been breached by any version of ransomware, act fast. Get immediate help by calling Progent's Ransomware Hot Line at 800-462-8800.

Progent's Ransomware Response Expertise Available in Pittsburgh
Modern variants of ransomware such as Ryuk, Sodinokibi, DopplePaymer, and Egregor encrypt online files and invade any accessible backups. Files synched to the cloud can also be corrupted. For a vulnerable environment, this can make system restoration almost impossible and effectively sets the IT system back to square one. Threat Actors (TAs), the hackers behind a ransomware attack, demand a settlement fee for the decryption tools needed to recover scrambled data. Ransomware assaults also attempt to exfiltrate files and hackers demand an additional payment in exchange for not posting this information or selling it. Even if you are able to rollback your system to a tolerable date in time, exfiltration can be a big problem depending on the nature of the downloaded information.

The restoration work subsequent to ransomware penetration involves a number of crucial stages, most of which can be performed concurrently if the response workgroup has enough people with the required skill sets.

• Containment: This time-critical first step requires arresting the lateral spread of ransomware within your IT system. The longer a ransomware attack is allowed to run unchecked, the longer and more costly the restoration effort. Recognizing this, Progent maintains a 24x7 Ransomware Hotline monitored by seasoned ransomware response engineers. Quarantine processes consist of isolating infected endpoint devices from the network to minimize the spread, documenting the IT system, and securing entry points.
• Operational continuity: This involves restoring the IT system to a minimal useful level of functionality with the shortest possible delay. This effort is usually the highest priority for the victims of the ransomware attack, who often see it as a life-or-death issue for their business. This project also demands the broadest array of technical skills that cover domain controllers, DHCP servers, physical and virtual machines, PCs, notebooks and smart phones, databases, productivity and mission-critical apps, network topology, and secure endpoint access management. Progent's ransomware recovery team uses state-of-the-art workgroup tools to coordinate the multi-faceted recovery process. Progent understands the urgency of working rapidly, continuously, and in concert with a customer's management and IT staff to prioritize activity and to put vital resources on line again as quickly as feasible.
• Data restoration: The work necessary to recover files damaged by a ransomware assault varies according to the state of the systems, how many files are encrypted, and what recovery techniques are needed. Ransomware attacks can take down critical databases which, if not gracefully shut down, may need to be reconstructed from the beginning. This can include DNS and Active Directory (AD) databases. Microsoft Exchange and Microsoft SQL Server depend on Active Directory, and many financial and other mission-critical applications are powered by Microsoft SQL Server. Often some detective work could be required to locate undamaged data. For instance, non-encrypted OST files (Outlook Email Offline Folder Files) may have survived on employees' PCs and laptops that were not connected during the ransomware attack. Progent's ProSight Data Protection Services offer Altaro VM Backup tools to protect against ransomware attacks by leveraging Immutable Cloud Storage. This creates tamper-proof data that cannot be erased or modified by anyone including administrators or root users.
• Setting up advanced AV/ransomware defense: ProSight ASM uses SentinelOne's machine learning technology to give small and mid-sized businesses the benefits of the identical AV tools implemented by many of the world's biggest enterprises such as Walmart, Citi, and NASDAQ. By delivering real-time malware blocking, identification, mitigation, repair and analysis in a single integrated platform, ProSight ASM reduces total cost of ownership, simplifies administration, and expedites resumption of operations. SentinelOne's next-generation endpoint protection (NGEP) incorporated in Progent's ASM was ranked by Gartner Group as the "most visionary Endpoint Protection Platform." Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, dealer, and integrator. Find out about Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring endpoint protection and ransomware defense with SentinelOne technology.
• Negotiating a settlement with the hacker Progent is experienced in negotiating settlements with threat actors. This requires close co-operation with the victim and the insurance carrier, if any. Services include establishing the kind of ransomware involved in the attack; identifying and making contact with the hacker; testing decryption tool; budgeting a settlement amount with the victim and the insurance carrier; negotiating a settlement amount and schedule with the hacker; confirming compliance with anti-money laundering regulations; overseeing the crypto-currency payment to the TA; acquiring, learning, and operating the decryptor utility; troubleshooting failed files; creating a clean environment; mapping and reconnecting drives to match exactly their pre-encryption state; and reprovisioning physical and virtual devices and services.
• Forensic analysis: This process is aimed at uncovering the ransomware attack's storyline throughout the network from beginning to end. This audit trail of how a ransomware attack travelled within the network assists you to evaluate the damage and highlights weaknesses in policies or processes that need to be rectified to prevent later break-ins. Forensics involves the review of all logs, registry, Group Policy Object, Active Directory (AD), DNS, routers, firewalls, scheduled tasks, and basic Windows systems to check for changes. Forensics is typically assigned a high priority by the cyber insurance provider. Because forensics can be time consuming, it is essential that other key activities such as operational resumption are pursued concurrently. Progent maintains an extensive team of information technology and security professionals with the skills required to carry out activities for containment, operational resumption, and data restoration without disrupting forensics.

Contact Progent for Ransomware Cleanup Consulting Services in Pittsburgh
For ransomware system recovery consulting in the Pittsburgh metro area, call Progent at 800-462-8800 or go to Contact Progent.