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Remote Workers Are Getting Hit By Ransomware

By August 7, 2020May 5th, 2022Cybersecurity

According to the 2020 Vulnerability and Treat Trends Report, the number of new samples of ransomware increased by a staggering 72 percent during the first half of this year.

Hackers around the world have come to increasingly view it as their go-to attack option.

As with a great many things in recent months, this trend can be traced back to the COVID-19 pandemic. In response to the virus, untold millions of employees began working from home, which allowed them to stay productive, but at a terrible cost to network security. Few companies can afford to provide the same level of security and protection to their remote employees as they can when everyone is in the office.

Unfortunately, the moment a remote employee is infected and connects to the corporate network, the malware in question spreads like wildfire. Worse, since IT staffs are running thin these days and many security professionals themselves working from home, they’re relatively less able to deal with the rising threat.

The biggest and best way to protect against a ransomware attack now and at some point in the future, when the pandemic has finally run its course, comes down to visibility. Specially, the IT security people who have watching your network need full visibility and the means of analyzing how critical network assets could potentially be accessed by an agent moving laterally within the network, with or without proper credentials.

Additionally, this full and transparent view of things gives your security professionals the means of telling, at a glance if VPN’s, firewalls and related systems are properly configured and have all the latest security patches installed.

While that certainly doesn’t provide bullet-proof protection, that kind of visibility goes a long way toward minimizing your risk. If you don’t have something very like that in place right now, you need it as soon as possibly.

Jason Manteiga

Jason J. Manteiga, Vice President of Olmec Systems, has been part of the company for over the past 20 years. He believes that having a great work environment and supportive team, is the ultimate key to success. Since being in the IT realm for over 25 years, Jason, along with Olmec Systems, has been on the Inc. 5000 “List of America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies” and Channel Futures MSP 501 “Top Managed Service Providers in North America,” along with other awards and nominations. Jason earned his Bachelor Degree in Information Systems from the New Jersey Institute of Technology. He also holds certifications in Microsoft MCSE, VMWare VCP, and Cisco CCNA. In his spare time, Jason is a contributor for The Center for Social & Legal Research (Privacy Exchange) and a member of the Morris County Chamber of Commerce. His hobbies include cycling and kayaking. He currently lives in New Jersey with his wife, two daughters and son.