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Backups Are Under Attack: How to Protect Your Backups

Summary

With ransomware becoming a highly coordinated and pervasive threat, traditional defenses are buckling under the strain.

Today’s cybercriminals’ first line of attack is your last line of defense — your backup infrastructure.

Rather than locking up your production environment immediately, they first target your backups, aiming to cripple your ability to recover and thereby increasing the odds of a successful ransom payout.

This article explores this emerging threat and offers practical advice on how to protect your backups.

The Threat Landscape

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) has reported a sharp increase in ransomware attacks.

Cybersecurity experts from across the globe are witnessing a growing number of these attacks explicitly aimed at backup systems.

Ransomware like Locky, WannaCry, and CryptoLocker are increasingly sophisticated, offering threat actors a wealth of tools to bypass traditional security measures.

Understanding the Target – Backup Systems

Backup systems are targeted because they are a fail-safe.

If a ransomware attack locks up a company’s data, having a recent, clean backup allows the company to bypass paying the ransom and restore their data.

By targeting these systems first, cybercriminals can cripple a company’s ability to self-recover, forcing them into a more vulnerable position.

Protecting your Backups – Practical Advice

Air-Gapped Backups

Air-gapping is a security measure that involves isolating a system from other networks.

An air-gapped backup is physically disconnected from your primary network, making it virtually impossible for ransomware to reach.

Multi-Factor Authentication

Implementing multi-factor authentication can add an extra layer of protection.

Even if an intruder manages to steal a password, they will be blocked from accessing the system without the second factor.

Data Encryption

Encrypting your backup data ensures that even if your backups are somehow stolen or compromised, they cannot be read without the decryption key.

Frequent Vulnerability Assessments

Regularly conducting vulnerability assessments can help identify and rectify any weak points in your backup systems before they become a breach point.

Conclusion

As ransomware attacks become increasingly sophisticated, it has never been more crucial to ensure your backups are secure.

Taking proactive measures, such as implementing air-gapping, multi-factor authentication, data encryption, and frequent vulnerability assessments, can help fortify your backup systems against these malicious attacks.

Follow-Up Reading

• FBI’s IC3 2020 Internet Crime Report
• Ransomware Mitigation Strategies by Australian Cyber Security Centre
• Internet Organised Crime Threat Assessment (IOCTA) 2019 by Europol

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