31 Aug

Ransomware is right up there as one of the worst types of malware your clients are likely to come across.

Not only is there the risk of being locked out of computer systems or important databases, but there's the additional risk of public backlash and damages to reputation. 

As you'll have no doubt seen in the press - if the breach is large enough, ransomware attacks can easily become high-profile media events and the ransom demands can be incredibly tricky to manage.

If they do pay the ransom for their data, not only is it an admission of defeat, but it can also be a significant financial hit.

What's more, there's really no guarantee they’ll gain access to their systems again.

Once the scammers have their money, there isn’t anything but goodwill compelling them to return what was already taken. 

11:37 / BackupAssist / IT Support
23 Aug

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hj0OJOplnso?controls=0&showinfo=0&w=560&h=315] Many ransomware strains such as WannaCry, already have the ability to remove both system restore points and your Windows backups altogether. Rather worryingly, experts also suggest that ransomware is expected to increasingly target backup files in the future.  With that in mind, we're particularly excited to see BackupAssist v10.1.0 go live today, as it includes CryptoSafeGuard, a free feature designed to tackle these problems head on.
10:00 / BackupAssist / News
07 Aug

In case you missed my early heads up, the public release of CryptSafeGuard for BackupAssist is now but a few weeks away. It's an anti-ransomware feature, it's ever so timely and best of all, it's free (provided you have valid upgrade cover of course!). The senior development team over at BackupAssist are excited to let you know just how great it is, and with that in mind, are running a free one-off webinar for resellers on Wednesday 9th August @ 9.30am.   If you can spare the time I highly recommend you attend as it's a terrific opportunity to learn about a feature that could really help your customers (and you!) out of a tight spot should the unthinkable happen and their files become encrypted. Not only that but it's a rare chance to provide your thoughts and suggestions directly to the people who write the software.
16:04 / BackupAssist / News
24 Jul

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdodIycQgB4?controls=0&showinfo=0&w=560&h=315] When the Australian development team at BackupAssist let me know there would be an anti-ransomware feature available so soon after the recent high profile cryptolocker attacks, I have to admit, the timing seemed almost a little too convenient. Until any concrete evidence comes to light, we'll work on the basis they just know the market, but my investigations will continue nonetheless :)
15:16 / BackupAssist / News
05 Jun

Unless you've somehow managed to avoid both the news headlines and the barrage of content from IT security vendors that followed, you'll no doubt be aware that a couple of weeks ago, there was a particularly severe ransomware attack that affected over 100,000 businesses around the globe, including the NHS. The latest evidence indicates that the recent 'WannaCry' attack originated via an exploit tool created by the NSA, however it's more common they originate via 'phishing' emails, the technique of tricking recipients into clicking a malicious link or opening an attachment, often appearing to be from a colleague or relative. So with this in mind, now seems like a great time to give you a refresher on the features at your disposal as an MDaemon administrator to help prevent the type of phishing attack that can lead to a ransomware infection, along with some additional tips on best practice. (Almost all of the security tools for MDaemon are in the SecurityPlus add-on so for the purpose of this post, I'll be assuming you've got that installed.)
11:33 / MDaemon / News / Tech tips