Ransomware: Looking for the Light at the End of the Tunnel

From the Atlanta city government to Alaska’s Matanuska-Susitna Borough, ransomware attacks continue to disrupt government technology systems. These attacks take advantage of gaps in network security, forcing federal, state and local governments to either pay a ransom or see their technology systems – and, in turn – their operations all but shut down.

While government agencies continue to improve their cyber security systems, ransomware remains a lethal threat. The WannaCry and Petya attacks last year showed the damage these attacks can do if allowed to take root.

How can agencies identify and eliminate vulnerabilities to ransomware? What precautions can be put in place to avoid an attack? What guidelines can be established to ensure continued protection in the long-term?

Those will be some of the major questions answered at the Symantec Government Symposium, taking place on October 30 at the Marriott Marquis in Washington D.C.

Defending against ransomware will be a recurring theme throughout the day’s program. There will also be a session dedicated to the topic, where I will join Cindy Donaldson, President of The Global Resilience Federation, in a presentation focused on how to prevent, protect and prevail against ransomware.

The session will take a deep dive into the current threat landscape and the state of ransomware; what tactics, techniques and procedures criminals are using; and strategies to help protect organizations from ransomware through information sharing and technologies, including behavior monitoring, machine learning and intrusion prevention.

Protecting Against Ransomware

The best way to combat ransomware is with a defense-in-depth approach to cyber security that emphasizes security at the data level and enhances network visibility. This includes integrating solutions that work together to protect all potential entry points of a ransomware attack – email, web, endpoint, cloud and data center.

This integrated cyber defense approach unifies cloud and on-premises security to provide advanced threat and information protection, and includes:

• Advanced threat protection – allows agencies to gain control with multiple layers of threat prevention, detection and forensic technology
• Information protection – provides a shield around critical data, wherever it resides
• Endpoint security – protects users and critical assets with multilayered security
• Email security – defends email in the cloud and on-premises
• Network security – secures the web gateway
• Cloud security – safeguards users, information and workloads across public and private clouds

Government organizations that improve their overall security posture will greatly reduce the threat of all attacks, including ransomware. That will be another theme of the Symantec Government Symposium. Speakers and attendees will discuss the evolution of cyber security strategies and how tools like automation, artificial intelligence and this integrated cyber defense platform can improve overall security.

If you are interested in attending the event, register now.

If you found this information useful, you may also enjoy:

• About Ransomware
• Ransomware solutions
• Blog: An Integrated Defense Strategy to Fight Ransomware at Every Attack Point