Hard Drive Recovery Associates, based in Irvine, California, recently published two new blog entries where they discuss the best ways to recover data after a ransomware attack. They also provide tips on protecting data from such attacks.
The first blog post, “A More Practical Way To Recover Data From Ransomware”, was published with the purpose of guiding the company’s clients through one of the most difficult situations they can encounter on their computers: a ransomware virus. The company outlines some of the best steps to take when trying to recover data from ransomware, and some common mistakes that victims should avoid when trying to remove these viruses.
Once a computer is infected by a ransomware virus, there are few options available to recover the data. In any case, the owner of the data will have to pay either a technician or the hackers that infected the computer to recover it. While the decision may seem simple at first, and most would choose to pay a technician over the hackers, the company points out that there is a significant problem to this; it is often difficult to accurately judge the reliability and transparency of the technicians one wishes to hire.
Jack Edwards, a representative from Hard Drive Recovery Associates, says, "According to new reports published by renowned investigators, even if you decide to go with an expert technician you'll end up supporting the hackers anyway. Most of the so-called “high-tech” data recovery startups who recover ransomware data—and charge exorbitant fees—are merely paying the hacker behind their client's back and pocketing the extra fees. This puts the clients in a terrible situation, where they have both supported the hacker groups and paid more money for something they could have done themselves."
"Most of the time, people can't afford to lose their important data, regardless of the estimate they are given for the recovery," notes Edwards. He adds that the only way to avoid promoting the hacker groups in any way is to either protect the data so that it is not as vulnerable to hacking in the first place, or to find a reliable company to recover the data.
Hard Drive Recovery Associates, however, recommends the former option. They state that it is always better for computer users to take the appropriate measures to protect their data before it is compromised. It is best to be proactive, rather than reactive, when it comes to data protection, as there are only a few ways to recover ransomed data—but a multitude of means to protect your computer from ransomware. These strategies are especially important when it comes to protecting more crucial assets such as business data.
To this end, the second blog post is geared more towards business owners. In “Are Hybrid Solutions Best For Data Protection?” Hard Drive Recovery Associates discusses the importance of backing up the company's vital data and developing a disaster plan. They explain that the best way to develop a backup strategy is simply to create a solid state disaster recovery plan, which includes regular system backups to help ensure the safety of the data. However, this option is expensive, making it impractical for small businesses, and this is especially unfortunate since these types of businesses are most likely to need such protective measures.
Another great data protection option is to back up the data to the cloud. Edwards says, "A cloud service provider is significantly cheaper than other options, and while it may seem the way to go for small businesses, this comes with other disadvantages. Cloud technology is not as efficient as a solid-state recovery plan, and it can get complicated when too many functions are incorporated into it. This is also susceptible to network connections, bandwidth limitations, and file size limitations, making it a less than optimal alternative for backing up considerable amounts of information."
The answer to these problems, according to the data recovery specialists, is a hybrid solution. By combining cloud technology with a storage appliance, businesses can keep the less important data in the cloud and resort to storing only the most vital information in their solid state backup. This is the best solution for small to medium sized businesses, as they will be able to save considerable amounts of money while protecting their data more effectively.
For more information regarding Hard Drive Recovery Associates, or to read more ransomware tips, interested parties may visit the company's website. They may also visit the company’s blog to read the relevant posts in full.
No comments:
Post a Comment