Decrypt Acronis

Preventing a Ransomhub ransomware attack involves a comprehensive cybersecurity framework. Below, we list important points that should be considered.

Organization – Proper documentation of the IT infrastructure is very helpful in the prevention process, along with organizing networks and computers. Developing rules so that new employees understand the company’s policy regarding the installation and use of software on computers is also essential.

Strong passwords – Passwords should contain more than 8 characters, including both regular and special characters. Additionally, it is important not to use the same password for multiple accounts.

Security solutions – A good antivirus should be installed and kept up to date, along with the operating system. Having a firewall and endpoints in place is essential to keep the system protected.

Beware of suspicious emails – One of the most common entry points used by hacker groups is spam email campaigns, so it is vital to establish a security policy and raise awareness among employees not to download attached files sent by unknown emails.

Effective backup policies – Backups are one of the most important measures for protecting a company’s data. Even so, many organizations neglect or create ineffective backup schedules. We have handled cases where, in addition to the data being encrypted, the backups were as well. It is important to establish a consistent routine for updating backups and not rely solely on online storage. It is not recommended to keep backups online only. The best backup structure is the 3x2x1 rule: 3 backups, 2 online and 1 offline, along with a consistent backup update routine.

Be cautious with unofficial software – There are countless paid programs available for free on the internet, such as Windows, Office, and many others. Although they may appear to be free, these programs can be used as a gateway for future hacker attacks. Official software may require resources but offers significantly better security than free alternatives.

To carry out ransomware attacks, criminals use various strategies such as infected file downloads, malicious links, RDP attacks, spam email campaigns, and others.

All of them share the same goal: to access the victim’s system without being noticed. To achieve this, ransomware disguises itself within the system to avoid detection by defense mechanisms. In tactics that rely on user interaction, phishing techniques are used so the victim unknowingly downloads the ransomware onto the system.

It is important to pay attention to certain signs that may indicate an ongoing ransomware attack.

Among them are increased usage of processing power, memory, and disk access, which may indicate the execution of encryption or data exfiltration by the malware.

Another way to detect the attack is by observing changes in file extensions, which are a direct result of the encryption performed by the ransomware. However, this method of detection can be more complex in attacks that attempt to mask their activities to avoid being noticed.

Once the data is encrypted by ransomware, the only way to recover it is by paying the ransom demanded by the criminal group. However, there is no guarantee that the data will be released, and the payment may encourage the group to continue their attacks.

But in cases where the group behind the attack uses the double extortion tactic—which involves copying and extracting all files and encrypting the original data—the situation is even more serious, as the stolen files will be publicly exposed if the ransom is not paid. In such cases, formatting the affected device becomes inevitable.