Ransomeware protection

Ransomware is any software that maliciously infects computers, destroying or encrypting files.

Ransomware is often used by hackers to blackmail the owner of the information that has been kidnapped. If they pay, they get instructions on how to restore their files. If they do not pay, the files are destroyed.

Ransomware – a growing threat

Ransomware has become a bigger and bigger threat to businesses and organisations. The costs of dealing with the consequences of a ransomware attack can be very high. It can cause long-term disruptions or halts in production as work is done to remove the malicious software, find out which files have been affected and then trying to restore them. The risk that not all data damaged in an attack can be recovered is substantial.

Ransomware has a high risk of spreading

Another threat is the risk further infections. A majority of those working with computers do so in an organisation where data is stored on a server, and is shared among many users. If one file becomes infected, it can quickly spread to other files as soon as it has gotten into the server. It may be enough for only one computer in an organisation to become infected for the consequences to quickly affect the whole organisation.

Some file storage services used to store and share files within an organisation provide the possibility to restore previous versions of a file, or files, that have been deleted. This is a much better situation than just the traditional backup. However, this often has to be done manually, and can be very time consuming. Especially when a large number of files are stored, and it is unclear which have been affected.

The Synkzone solution

Synkzone provides a solution that can help mitigate the effects of ransomware attacks.

It is made up of three parts:

1. Detection. The Synkzone client software is constantly monitoring what is happening on the computer where the software is installed. Using a special algorithm the software can quickly spot changes that may indicate a ransomware attack in progress. This provides an early warning system and any problems can be dealt with quickly.
2. Quarantine. If a ransomware attack on a computer is confirmed, the Synkzone client software places the computer in quarantine. This means isolating files stored on the computer making sure that any damage done to files in shared zones does not spread to other users. Other users can continue on working.

3. Automatic restoration of files. The Synkzone zone-concept provides the possibility to revert changes down to files in a zone. This means no one has to manually go through and restore individual files should any damage have been made before the attack was detected.