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Computer Virus Detection and Remediation Experts

Crypto-Ransomware : Your Feared Information Technology Catastrophe
Ransomware has become an escalating cyber pandemic that poses an extinction-level threat for businesses vulnerable to an attack. Versions of ransomware such as Dharma, CryptoWall, Bad Rabbit, NotPetya and MongoLock cryptoworms have been running rampant for years and continue to cause havoc. The latest variants of ransomware such as Ryuk, Maze, Sodinokibi, DopplePaymer, LockBit or Nephilim, as well as more unnamed viruses, not only encrypt online data but also infiltrate all accessible system restores and backups. Information synchronized to off-site disaster recovery sites can also be corrupted. In a poorly architected system, it can make automated restore operations impossible and effectively sets the datacenter back to square one.

Restoring applications and data after a ransomware outage becomes a race against time as the victim fights to stop lateral movement, cleanup the virus, and restore mission-critical operations. Because ransomware needs time to replicate, penetrations are usually sprung on weekends and holidays, when attacks are likely to take more time to notice. This compounds the difficulty of quickly mobilizing and organizing an experienced response team.

Progent has a variety of solutions for securing enterprises from crypto-ransomware penetrations. These include team member training to help recognize and not fall victim to phishing exploits, ProSight Active Security Monitoring for remote monitoring and management, in addition to installation of the latest generation security gateways with artificial intelligence technology from SentinelOne to detect and quarantine new cyber attacks quickly. Progent in addition can provide the assistance of expert crypto-ransomware recovery engineers with the skills and commitment to rebuild a compromised environment as rapidly as possible.

Progent's Ransomware Restoration Support Services
Soon after a ransomware event, even paying the ransom in cryptocurrency does not ensure that criminal gangs will respond with the needed keys to decrypt any or all of your files. Kaspersky Labs determined that 17% of ransomware victims never restored their information even after having sent off the ransom, resulting in more losses. The risk is also very costly. Ryuk ransoms are typically a few hundred thousand dollars. For larger organizations, the ransom demand can reach millions of dollars. The fallback is to setup from scratch the mission-critical parts of your IT environment. Without the availability of complete data backups, this requires a wide complement of IT skills, top notch team management, and the willingness to work continuously until the recovery project is complete.

For decades, Progent has offered professional IT services for companies throughout the United States and has earned Microsoft's Partnership certification in the Datacenter and Cloud Productivity competencies. Progent's group of subject matter experts includes consultants who have been awarded advanced industry certifications in key technologies such as Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, and major distributions of Linux. Progent's cyber security specialists have garnered internationally-recognized industry certifications including CISA, CISSP, ISACA CRISC, GIAC, and CMMC 2.0. (Visit Progent's certifications). Progent in addition has expertise with financial systems and ERP software solutions. This breadth of expertise gives Progent the ability to rapidly identify necessary systems and organize the surviving pieces of your network system following a ransomware attack and assemble them into a functioning network.

Progent's ransomware team utilizes best of breed project management tools to orchestrate the complex recovery process. Progent understands the importance of acting quickly and together with a customer's management and IT resources to assign priority to tasks and to get the most important services back on-line as fast as humanly possible.

Business Case Study: A Successful Ransomware Virus Restoration
A client escalated to Progent after their network system was attacked by the Ryuk crypto-ransomware. Ryuk is believed to have been developed by Northern Korean state hackers, possibly adopting techniques leaked from America's National Security Agency. Ryuk seeks specific organizations with little ability to sustain disruption and is one of the most profitable incarnations of crypto-ransomware. Major targets include Data Resolution, a California-based info warehousing and cloud computing business, and the Chicago Tribune. Progent's client is a single-location manufacturer headquartered in Chicago with around 500 employees. The Ryuk penetration had shut down all company operations and manufacturing processes. Most of the client's data protection had been directly accessible at the beginning of the intrusion and were eventually encrypted. The client considered paying the ransom demand (exceeding two hundred thousand dollars) and wishfully thinking for good luck, but in the end made the decision to use Progent.

Progent worked with the client to quickly determine and prioritize the mission critical areas that had to be restored to make it possible to resume company functions:

• Microsoft Active Directory
• Microsoft Exchange Email
• Accounting/MRP

Within 2 days, Progent was able to recover Active Directory to its pre-intrusion state. Progent then helped perform reinstallations and storage recovery on critical servers. All Exchange ties and configuration information were usable, which greatly helped the restore of Exchange. Progent was able to collect intact OST data files (Microsoft Outlook Offline Data Files) on various PCs to recover email data. A recent off-line backup of the customer's financials/ERP systems made it possible to restore these essential applications back servicing users. Although major work still had to be done to recover totally from the Ryuk event, core systems were recovered quickly:

Throughout the following month important milestones in the recovery project were accomplished in tight cooperation between Progent team members and the customer:

• Internal web sites were brought back up without losing any data.
• The MailStore Server containing more than four million archived emails was brought on-line and accessible to users.
• CRM/Customer Orders/Invoices/Accounts Payable/AR/Inventory capabilities were completely recovered.
• A new Palo Alto Networks 850 firewall was brought on-line.
• Ninety percent of the desktops and laptops were operational.

Conclusion
A probable business-ending disaster was averted with hard-working professionals, a broad spectrum of knowledge, and tight teamwork. Although in post mortem the ransomware virus incident detailed here could have been identified and stopped with up-to-date cyber security technology solutions and best practices, user and IT administrator education, and appropriate security procedures for information backup and applying software patches, the fact remains that government-sponsored hackers from Russia, North Korea and elsewhere are relentless and represent an ongoing threat. If you do get hit by a ransomware incursion, remember that Progent's roster of professionals has extensive experience in ransomware virus blocking, mitigation, and information systems recovery.

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

Additional Ransomware Protection Services Available from Progent
Progent can provide businesses in San Rafael a variety of remote monitoring and security evaluation services to assist you to reduce the threat from ransomware. These services incorporate modern artificial intelligence capability to detect new strains of ransomware that are able to escape detection by legacy signature-based security solutions.

• ProSight Managed Service Packages: for Small to Mid-size Businesses
  Progent's ProSight Managed IT Service Packages make it possible for small and mid-size businesses to deploy Remote Monitoring and Management (RMM) technology to create advanced IT resilience. Progent takes care of the daily monitoring and maintenance for you, so your network expands smoothly without holding you back. For a low and predictable monthly price, Progent's full-service IT group can be your dependable technology safety net. Basic plans include remote monitoring and management, cybersecurity, automatic monthly patching, and documentation. As your needs expand, you can add low-cost subscriptions to best-of-breed solutions such as SaaS M365/Google Workspace backup and restore, Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), pen testing, or WiFi management.

• ProSight LAN Watch: Server and Desktop Remote Monitoring
  ProSight LAN Watch is Progent's server and desktop remote monitoring managed service that uses state-of-the-art remote monitoring and management (RMM) techniques to keep your network operating efficiently by checking the health of critical assets that drive your business network. When ProSight LAN Watch detects a problem, an alarm is transmitted automatically to your specified IT personnel and your Progent engineering consultant so any potential problems can be resolved before they have a chance to impact productivity. Learn more details about ProSight LAN Watch server and desktop remote monitoring services.

• ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM: Unified RMM for Networks, Servers, and Workstations
  ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM software delivers a centralized, cloud-driven platform for monitoring and managing your network, server, and desktop devices by providing tools for performing common tedious jobs. These include health monitoring, update management, automated remediation, endpoint deployment, backup and recovery, A/V protection, remote access, built-in and custom scripts, asset inventory, endpoint profile reporting, and debugging support. When ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM identifies a serious issue, it transmits an alert to your designated IT personnel and your assigned Progent technical consultant so emerging issues can be fixed before they interfere with your network. Find out more details about ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM server and desktop monitoring services.

• ProSight WAN Watch: Infrastructure Management
  Progent's ProSight WAN Watch is an infrastructure monitoring and management service that makes it easy and affordable for small and mid-sized businesses to map out, monitor, enhance and debug their networking appliances such as routers and switches, firewalls, and access points as well as servers, printers, client computers and other devices. Incorporating cutting-edge RMM technology, ProSight WAN Watch ensures that network maps are always updated, copies and manages the configuration information of virtually all devices on your network, monitors performance, and generates notices when issues are discovered. By automating time-consuming management activities, WAN Watch can cut hours off common tasks like network mapping, expanding your network, finding devices that need critical updates, or identifying the cause of performance problems. Find out more about ProSight WAN Watch network infrastructure management services.

• ProSight Reporting: Real-time and In-depth Reporting for Ticketing and Network Monitoring Platforms
  ProSight Reporting is a growing line of in-depth management reporting tools designed to integrate with the industry's top ticketing and remote network monitoring applications including ConnectWise Manage, ConnectWise Automate, Customer Thermometer, Auvik, and SentinelOne. ProSight Reporting incorporates Microsoft Graph and features color coding to highlight and contextualize critical issues such as spotty support follow-through or endpoints with out-of-date AVs. By identifying ticketing or network health problems clearly and in near-real time, ProSight Reporting improves network value, lowers management overhead, and saves money. For details, visit ProSight Reporting for ticketing and network monitoring applications.

• ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS): Managed Backup and Disaster Recovery Services
  Progent has partnered with advanced 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 automate and track your backup processes and enable transparent backup and rapid recovery of vital files/folders, applications, system images, and virtual machines. ProSight DPS lets your business avoid data loss resulting from hardware failures, natural disasters, fire, cyber attacks such as ransomware, human mistakes, ill-intentioned insiders, or application glitches. Managed services available in the ProSight Data Protection Services product line include ProSight Altaro VM Backup, ProSight 365 Total Backup (formerly Altaro 365 Backup), ProSight ECHO Backup based on Barracuda dedicated hardware, and ProSight MSP360 Cloud and On-prem Backup. Your Progent consultant can assist you to determine which of these managed services are best suited for your network.

• ProSight Email Guard: Inbound and Outbound Spam Filtering and Data Leakage Protection
  ProSight Email Guard is Progent's spam filtering and email encryption service that uses the infrastructure of top data security companies to provide centralized management and comprehensive security for your email traffic. The powerful architecture of Progent's Email Guard integrates cloud-based filtering with a local security gateway device to offer complete defense against spam, viruses, Denial of Service (DoS) Attacks, DHAs, and other email-borne threats. The Cloud Protection Layer serves as a first line of defense and keeps most unwanted email from making it to your network firewall. This reduces your vulnerability to inbound attacks and conserves system bandwidth and storage. Email Guard's on-premises gateway device provides a deeper level of analysis for incoming email. For outbound email, the local security gateway provides anti-virus and anti-spam filtering, protection against data leaks, and email encryption. The local gateway can also help Microsoft Exchange Server to track and protect internal email traffic that stays inside your security perimeter. For more information, see Email Guard spam and content filtering.

• ProSight Duo Two-Factor Authentication: Access Security, Endpoint Policy Enforcement, and Secure Single Sign-on
  Progent's Duo authentication service plans incorporate Cisco's Duo technology to protect against stolen passwords by using two-factor authentication (2FA). Duo enables one-tap identity confirmation on Apple iOS, Google Android, and other out-of-band devices. Using 2FA, when you log into a protected application and enter your password you are requested to verify your identity via a device that only you have and that uses a different network channel. A broad selection of out-of-band devices can be used for this added form of ID validation including an iPhone or Android or watch, a hardware token, a landline phone, etc. You can register multiple verification devices. For more information about Duo two-factor identity validation services, go to Duo MFA two-factor authentication services.

• Progent's Outsourced/Shared Help Center: Support Desk Managed Services
  Progent's Support Center managed services allow your IT team to offload Support Desk services to Progent or split responsibilities for support services transparently between your internal support staff and Progent's extensive roster of IT support engineers and subject matter experts. Progent's Shared Help Desk Service provides a transparent supplement to your in-house network support staff. User access to the Help Desk, delivery of technical assistance, problem escalation, ticket creation and updates, efficiency measurement, and management of the service database are cohesive regardless of whether issues are taken care of by your core network support staff, by Progent's team, or a mix of the two. Find out more about Progent's outsourced/shared Service Desk services.

• Active Protection Against Ransomware: Machine Learning-based Ransomware Identification and Cleanup
  Progent's Active Protection Against Ransomware is an endpoint protection (EPP) managed service that utilizes next generation behavior-based analysis technology to defend endpoint devices and physical and virtual servers against modern malware attacks such as ransomware and email phishing, which routinely escape traditional signature-matching anti-virus products. Progent ASM services protect local and cloud-based resources and provides a single platform to manage the complete threat lifecycle including protection, detection, mitigation, remediation, and forensics. Top features include single-click rollback using Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) and automatic network-wide immunization against newly discovered threats. Read more about Progent's ransomware protection 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 create, update, find and safeguard data about your network infrastructure, processes, business apps, and services. You can instantly find passwords or IP addresses and be warned automatically about upcoming expirations of SSL certificates or warranties. By updating and organizing your network documentation, you can save up to 50% of time wasted trying to find vital information about your IT network. ProSight IT Asset Management includes a centralized location for storing and sharing all documents required for managing your business network like recommended procedures and How-To's. ProSight IT Asset Management also offers a high level of automation for collecting and relating IT information. Whether you're making improvements, doing regular maintenance, or reacting to an emergency, ProSight IT Asset Management delivers the knowledge you need the instant you need it. Learn more about ProSight IT Asset Management service.

• Patch Management: Patch Management Services
  Progent's support services for patch management offer businesses of any size a versatile and cost-effective solution for evaluating, validating, scheduling, implementing, and documenting software and firmware updates to your dynamic information network. Besides maximizing the protection and functionality of your computer network, Progent's software/firmware update management services allow your in-house IT team to concentrate on more strategic initiatives and tasks that derive the highest business value from your network. Learn more about Progent's patch management services.

• ProSight Virtual Hosting: Hosted VMs at Progent's Tier III Data Center
  With Progent's ProSight Virtual Hosting service, a small organization can have its critical servers and apps hosted in a secure fault tolerant data center on a high-performance virtual machine host configured and managed by Progent's network support professionals. With the ProSight Virtual Hosting model, the client owns the data, the operating system platforms, and the apps. Since the system is virtualized, it can be ported immediately to an alternate hardware solution without a time-consuming and difficult configuration process. With ProSight Virtual Hosting, you are not tied one hosting provider. Learn more details about ProSight Virtual Hosting services.

• ProSight Active Security Monitoring: Endpoint Protection and Ransomware Defense
  ProSight Active Security Monitoring (ASM) is an endpoint protection (EPP) service that utilizes SentinelOne's cutting edge behavior analysis tools to defend physical and virtual endpoints against new malware attacks such as ransomware and email phishing, which routinely escape traditional signature-based AV tools. ProSight ASM protects on-premises and cloud-based resources and offers a single platform to address the entire malware attack progression including protection, infiltration detection, containment, cleanup, and forensics. Key capabilities include one-click rollback with Windows VSS and real-time network-wide immunization against new attacks. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, reseller, and integrator. Learn more about Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring (ASM) endpoint protection and ransomware recovery.

• ProSight Enhanced Security Protection: Physical and Virtual Endpoint Protection and Microsoft Exchange Email Filtering
  Progent's ProSight Enhanced Security Protection (ESP) managed services deliver economical multi-layer security for physical servers and virtual machines, desktops, smartphones, and Microsoft Exchange. ProSight ESP utilizes adaptive security and advanced machine learning for round-the-clock monitoring and reacting to security threats from all vectors. ProSight ESP delivers firewall protection, penetration alarms, endpoint control, and web filtering through cutting-edge tools packaged within a single agent managed from a single console. Progent's security and virtualization consultants can assist you to plan and implement a ProSight ESP environment that meets your company's specific needs and that allows you achieve and demonstrate compliance with government and industry data protection regulations. Progent will help you specify and configure policies that ProSight ESP will enforce, and Progent will monitor your IT environment and respond to alerts that require immediate action. Progent's consultants can also assist your company to set up and verify a backup and disaster recovery system like ProSight Data Protection Services so you can get back in business rapidly from a potentially disastrous cyber attack like ransomware. Learn more about Progent's ProSight Enhanced Security Protection (ESP) unified endpoint security and Exchange filtering.