24-Hour Wilmington Urgent CryptoLocker
Virus Assessment and Remediation Help

Ransomware : Your Worst Information Technology Nightmare
Crypto-Ransomware has become a modern cyber pandemic that represents an enterprise-level danger for businesses poorly prepared for an attack. Versions of ransomware like the Dharma, Fusob, Locky, SamSam and MongoLock cryptoworms have been around for years and still inflict destruction. Modern versions of ransomware such as Ryuk, Maze, Sodinokibi, DopplePaymer, Snatch or Egregor, as well as daily unnamed viruses, not only do encryption of on-line critical data but also infect all configured system restores and backups. Information synched to cloud environments can also be encrypted. In a poorly architected environment, this can make automatic restoration hopeless and basically knocks the datacenter back to square one.

Recovering applications and information after a ransomware intrusion becomes a race against the clock as the targeted business tries its best to contain, cleanup the ransomware, and restore mission-critical operations. Due to the fact that crypto-ransomware needs time to move laterally, assaults are often launched on weekends, when attacks typically take more time to discover. This multiplies the difficulty of quickly assembling and organizing an experienced mitigation team.

Progent provides a range of solutions for securing businesses from ransomware attacks. These include team training to help identify and avoid phishing scams, ProSight Active Security Monitoring for remote monitoring and management, plus deployment of the latest generation security solutions with artificial intelligence technology from SentinelOne to detect and quarantine new cyber attacks intelligently. Progent also offers the assistance of seasoned crypto-ransomware recovery consultants with the talent and perseverance to re-deploy a breached system as urgently as possible.

Progent's Ransomware Recovery Support Services
After a ransomware penetration, sending the ransom demands in cryptocurrency does not ensure that cyber criminals will return the needed codes to decipher any of your data. Kaspersky Labs determined that seventeen percent of crypto-ransomware victims never restored their data even after having paid the ransom, resulting in increased losses. The gamble is also costly. Ryuk ransoms are often a few hundred thousand dollars. For larger enterprises, the ransom demand can reach millions of dollars. The other path is to setup from scratch the vital elements of your Information Technology environment. Without access to full system backups, this calls for a broad complement of skill sets, professional project management, and the ability to work 24x7 until the recovery project is finished.

For two decades, Progent has made available professional Information Technology services for companies across the US and has achieved Microsoft's Partnership certification in the Datacenter and Cloud Productivity competencies. Progent's group of subject matter experts includes engineers who have earned high-level industry certifications in leading technologies like Microsoft, Cisco, VMware, and major distributions of Linux. Progent's cybersecurity specialists have garnered internationally-renowned certifications including CISM, CISSP, CRISC, SANS GIAC, and CMMC 2.0. (See Progent's certifications). Progent also has experience with financial management and ERP software solutions. This breadth of experience gives Progent the skills to quickly determine important systems and organize the surviving pieces of your computer network environment after a crypto-ransomware event and configure them into a functioning network.

Progent's security group has state-of-the-art project management applications to coordinate the complex restoration process. Progent appreciates the urgency of working rapidly and in concert with a client's management and Information Technology resources to assign priority to tasks and to get key systems back on-line as soon as humanly possible.

Customer Case Study: A Successful Ransomware Virus Recovery
A business contacted Progent after their network was brought down by the Ryuk ransomware. Ryuk is generally considered to have been created by Northern Korean state sponsored hackers, suspected of adopting approaches leaked from the U.S. NSA organization. Ryuk attacks specific businesses with little tolerance for operational disruption and is among the most lucrative versions of ransomware. Well Known targets include Data Resolution, a California-based information warehousing and cloud computing business, and the Chicago Tribune. Progent's client is a single-location manufacturer based in the Chicago metro area with about 500 staff members. The Ryuk attack had shut down all essential operations and manufacturing capabilities. The majority of the client's data backups had been online at the beginning of the intrusion and were eventually encrypted. The client considered paying the ransom demand (exceeding $200,000) and wishfully thinking for good luck, but in the end engaged Progent.

Progent worked with the customer to rapidly understand and prioritize the key services that had to be recovered in order to restart departmental operations:

• Active Directory (AD)
• Exchange Server
• Accounting and Manufacturing Software

Within two days, Progent was able to restore Active Directory services to its pre-virus state. Progent then accomplished setup and hard drive recovery on essential systems. All Exchange schema and attributes were usable, which accelerated the rebuild of Exchange. Progent was also able to locate non-encrypted OST files (Microsoft Outlook Off-Line Data Files) on user PCs and laptops in order to recover mail data. A not too old offline backup of the client's accounting software made them able to recover these essential programs back servicing users. Although significant work remained to recover completely from the Ryuk attack, core systems were restored quickly:

During the following few weeks important milestones in the restoration project were completed in tight collaboration between Progent consultants and the customer:

• Self-hosted web applications were returned to operation without losing any data.
• The MailStore Exchange Server with over 4 million archived messages was restored to operations and accessible to users.
• CRM/Product Ordering/Invoicing/AP/Accounts Receivables (AR)/Inventory functions were 100% functional.
• A new Palo Alto Networks 850 firewall was brought on-line.
• Nearly all of the user workstations were operational.

Conclusion
A probable business extinction disaster was averted through the efforts of dedicated experts, a broad spectrum of technical expertise, and close teamwork. Although in retrospect the ransomware incident detailed here would have been identified and blocked with current security technology solutions and NIST Cybersecurity Framework best practices, user and IT administrator training, and properly executed security procedures for information protection and keeping systems up to date with security patches, the fact remains that state-sponsored cybercriminals from China, Russia, North Korea and elsewhere are relentless and represent an ongoing threat. If you do get hit by a ransomware penetration, remember that Progent's team of professionals has proven experience in crypto-ransomware virus blocking, mitigation, and information systems recovery.

To read or download a PDF version of this customer case study, please click:
Progent's Ransomware Recovery Case Study Datasheet. (PDF - 282 KB)

Additional Ransomware Protection Services Available from Progent
Progent can provide companies in Wilmington a variety of remote monitoring and security assessment services designed to assist you to minimize your vulnerability to ransomware. These services utilize modern machine learning capability to detect new variants of ransomware that can escape detection by legacy signature-based security solutions.

• ProSight LAN Watch: Server and Desktop Monitoring
  ProSight LAN Watch is Progent's server and desktop monitoring service that uses advanced remote monitoring and management techniques to help keep your network running efficiently by checking the health of critical assets that power your business network. When ProSight LAN Watch detects an issue, an alert is transmitted automatically to your specified IT management staff and your Progent consultant so that all looming issues can be resolved before they can impact productivity. Find out more about ProSight LAN Watch server and desktop monitoring services.

• ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM: Unified RMM Solution for Networks, Servers, and Workstations
  ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM software delivers a centralized, cloud-driven solution for managing your client-server infrastructure by providing an environment for streamlining common time-consuming jobs. These can include health monitoring, update management, automated remediation, endpoint configuration, backup and recovery, A/V response, remote access, standard and custom scripts, resource inventory, endpoint profile reporting, and debugging help. If ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM identifies a serious incident, it transmits an alarm to your specified IT management personnel and your Progent technical consultant so potential issues can be fixed before they interfere with your network. Find out more details about ProSight LAN Watch with NinjaOne RMM server and desktop remote monitoring services.

• ProSight WAN Watch: Infrastructure Remote Monitoring and Management
  Progent's ProSight WAN Watch is an infrastructure management service that makes it simple and inexpensive for small and mid-sized businesses to diagram, track, reconfigure and troubleshoot their connectivity hardware such as routers and switches, firewalls, and access points as well as servers, printers, client computers and other networked devices. Using cutting-edge RMM technology, WAN Watch makes sure that infrastructure topology maps are always updated, captures and displays the configuration information of almost all devices connected to your network, monitors performance, and sends notices when issues are discovered. By automating tedious management activities, WAN Watch can cut hours off common chores like network mapping, reconfiguring your network, locating appliances that need critical updates, or isolating performance bottlenecks. Learn more about ProSight WAN Watch network infrastructure management consulting.

• ProSight Reporting: In-depth Reporting for Ticketing and Network Monitoring Applications
  ProSight Reporting is a growing line of real-time management reporting tools designed to integrate with the top ticketing and remote network monitoring programs such as ConnectWise Manage, ConnectWise Automate, Customer Thermometer, Auvik, and SentinelOne. ProSight Reporting uses 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 exposing ticketing or network health problems concisely and in near-real time, ProSight Reporting enhances network value, reduces management hassle, and saves money. For more information, see ProSight Reporting for ticketing and network monitoring applications.

• ProSight Data Protection Services: Backup and Recovery Services
  Progent has partnered with leading backup technology providers to produce ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS), a selection of management offerings that deliver backup-as-a-service. ProSight DPS services manage and track your data backup processes and enable transparent backup and rapid restoration of vital files/folders, apps, system images, and VMs. ProSight DPS helps you avoid data loss resulting from equipment failures, natural calamities, fire, cyber attacks like ransomware, user error, malicious employees, or software bugs. 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 using Barracuda purpose-built storage, and ProSight DPS MSP360 Hybrid Backup. Your Progent service representative can help you to determine which of these managed services are best suited for your IT environment.

• 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 technology of top information security vendors to deliver centralized management and comprehensive security for your email traffic. The hybrid structure of Progent's Email Guard managed service integrates a Cloud Protection Layer with an on-premises security gateway device to offer complete defense against spam, viruses, Denial of Service (DoS) Attacks, Directory Harvest Attacks (DHAs), and other email-borne threats. Email Guard's cloud filter acts as a preliminary barricade and keeps the vast majority of threats from reaching your security perimeter. This reduces your exposure to external threats and saves system bandwidth and storage. Email Guard's onsite gateway appliance provides a deeper layer of inspection for inbound email. For outgoing email, the onsite security gateway offers AV and anti-spam filtering, policy-based Data Loss Prevention, and email encryption. The on-premises gateway can also assist Microsoft Exchange Server to track and safeguard internal email traffic that stays inside your security perimeter. For more information, visit Email Guard spam filtering and data leakage protection.

• ProSight Duo Multi-Factor Authentication: Identity Validation, Endpoint Remediation, and Protected Single Sign-on (SSO)
  Progent's Duo MFA service plans utilize Cisco's Duo technology to defend against compromised passwords by using two-factor authentication. Duo enables one-tap identity confirmation with iOS, Android, and other personal devices. With 2FA, whenever you sign into a secured application and enter your password you are asked to verify who you are on a unit that only you have and that is accessed using a separate network channel. A wide selection of out-of-band devices can be used for this added form of ID validation such as an iPhone or Android or watch, a hardware token, a landline telephone, etc. You can register several validation devices. To learn more about ProSight Duo two-factor identity validation services, refer to Cisco Duo MFA two-factor authentication (2FA) services.

• Progent's Outsourced/Shared Help Desk: Call Center Managed Services
  Progent's Call Center services enable your IT staff to offload Call Center services to Progent or divide activity for support services transparently between your internal support team and Progent's nationwide pool of certified IT support technicians, engineers and subject matter experts (SMEs). Progent's Co-managed Help Desk Service provides a smooth extension of your corporate IT support staff. Client interaction with the Service Desk, delivery of support, problem escalation, trouble ticket generation and tracking, performance measurement, and management of the service database are cohesive regardless of whether issues are taken care of by your core IT support group, by Progent's team, or a mix of the two. Read more about Progent's outsourced/co-managed Service Desk services.

• Active Protection Against Ransomware: Machine Learning-based Ransomware Detection and Cleanup
  Progent's Active Protection Against Ransomware is an endpoint protection (EPP) managed service that utilizes cutting edge behavior machine learning tools to defend endpoints 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 Active Security Monitoring services safeguard local and cloud-based resources and offers a unified platform to address the entire threat progression including filtering, infiltration detection, containment, remediation, and forensics. Key features include single-click rollback using Windows Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) and automatic system-wide immunization against newly discovered attacks. Find out more about Progent's ransomware defense and cleanup services.

• ProSight IT Asset Management: Network Documentation Management
  ProSight IT Asset Management service is a cloud-based IT documentation management service that allows you to capture, update, find and safeguard data about your IT infrastructure, procedures, applications, and services. You can quickly find passwords or serial numbers and be alerted about upcoming expirations of SSL certificates ,domains or warranties. By cleaning up and organizing your network documentation, you can eliminate up to 50% of time wasted trying to find critical information about your IT network. ProSight IT Asset Management includes a centralized location for holding and sharing all documents related to managing your network infrastructure like standard operating procedures (SOPs) and self-service instructions. ProSight IT Asset Management also supports advanced automation for gathering and associating IT information. Whether you're planning improvements, performing regular maintenance, or responding to a crisis, ProSight IT Asset Management gets you the data you need when you need it. Learn more about Progent's ProSight IT Asset Management service.

• Progent's Patch Management: Patch Management Services
  Progent's managed services for software and firmware patch management offer businesses of all sizes a versatile and affordable solution for assessing, testing, scheduling, applying, and tracking updates to your dynamic information network. In addition to optimizing the protection and reliability of your IT network, Progent's patch management services allow your in-house IT staff to concentrate on more strategic projects and tasks that derive the highest business value from your network. Find out more about Progent's patch management services.

• ProSight Virtual Hosting: Hosted Virtual Machines at Progent's World-class Data Center
  With Progent's ProSight Virtual Hosting service, a small business can have its critical servers and apps hosted in a protected fault tolerant data center on a fast virtual host configured and maintained by Progent's IT support professionals. Under Progent's ProSight Virtual Hosting model, the client owns the data, the OS platforms, and the apps. Since the environment is virtualized, it can be ported immediately to a different hosting environment without a time-consuming and technically risky configuration procedure. With ProSight Virtual Hosting, your business is not tied one hosting provider. Learn more about ProSight Virtual Hosting services.

• ProSight Active Security Monitoring: Endpoint Protection and Ransomware Defense
  Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring (ASM) is an endpoint protection solution that incorporates SentinelOne's next generation behavior-based machine learning tools to guard physical and virtual endpoints against modern malware attacks such as ransomware and email phishing, which routinely escape traditional signature-based AV tools. ProSight ASM safeguards local and cloud-based resources and offers a single platform to address the complete malware attack lifecycle including filtering, detection, containment, remediation, and post-attack forensics. Key features include single-click rollback with Windows VSS and automatic network-wide immunization against newly discovered attacks. Progent is a SentinelOne Partner, reseller, and integrator. Find out more about Progent's ProSight Active Security Monitoring endpoint protection and ransomware defense.

• ProSight Enhanced Security Protection: Physical and Virtual Endpoint Security and Microsoft Exchange Email Filtering
  ProSight Enhanced Security Protection (ESP) services deliver ultra-affordable multi-layer security for physical servers and VMs, workstations, smartphones, and Exchange email. ProSight ESP uses adaptive security and advanced heuristics for continuously monitoring and reacting to cyber threats from all vectors. ProSight ESP offers two-way firewall protection, intrusion alarms, endpoint management, and web filtering via cutting-edge technologies incorporated within one agent accessible from a unified console. Progent's security and virtualization experts can help your business to plan and configure a ProSight ESP deployment that addresses your company's unique needs and that allows you demonstrate compliance with government and industry data security regulations. Progent will assist you define and implement policies that ProSight ESP will enforce, and Progent will monitor your IT environment and respond to alarms that require immediate action. Progent can also help your company to install and test a backup and disaster recovery system such as ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS) so you can recover rapidly from a potentially disastrous security attack like ransomware. Learn more about Progent's ProSight Enhanced Security Protection unified endpoint security and Microsoft Exchange filtering.