Protecting Against Ransomware
by Kalkin Stransky, Staff Associate II
Posted on August 11, 2021
Year after year ransomware attacks continue to rise locally, in the US, and across the world. This increase in prevalence has caused businesses and organizations to emphasize and focus their efforts in developing strong cybersecurity in order to protect against these attacks. In the past, resources for how to protect against ransomware attacks, and detect if they have occurred, along with general information has been spread over different sources with varying levels of credibility.
However, in July 2021 the U.S. Department of Justice and U.S. Department of Homeland Security launched a new all-encompassing website with vast resources for ransomware (StopRansomware.gov). This ransomware resource acts as an all in one support for individuals, businesses, and other organizations to gain information on what ransomware is, how to identify if you have been attacked, and how to best protect against an attack.
StopRansomware.gov provides a number of services including free scanning and testing by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to assess system vulnerabilities. Additionally, there are a variety of trainings and webinars that are applicable to both technical and non-technical audiences.
Due to the increase in malicious attacks on educational institutions, there is a specific section for K-12 resources (K-12 Resources | CISA) that could be beneficial to the school districts here in Arizona. The resources include reference material for a variety of stakeholders including:
- Best practices for school and school district cybersecurity managers, system administrators, and other technical staff to enhance their school and/or district’s security posture during distance and hybrid learning conditions.
- Best practices for non-technical staff as well as parents and teachers to enhance a school’s security posture during distance and hybrid learning conditions.
- Tips and consideration, as well as cybersecurity best practices, to help students stay safe and to do their part in keeping their school’s network secure while learning remotely.
StopRansomware.gov aims to continuously evolve over time in order to stay up to date with current ransomware and offer the best resources to protect businesses and organizations. We encourage all local governments to utilize this resource in order to better protect themselves against ransomware attacks.
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