One of the biggest threats to business continuity today is the threat of malware and ransomware. We’ve covered this topic a lot on our blog, but for good reason. Malware can halt operations with the single click of a link from a seemingly innocent email.
Let’s look at some ways to ensure that you’re taking appropriate steps to safeguard your company data.
What You May Be Doing Wrong
Many businesses struggle to understand the nuances of cloud security vs cyber security. While standard cybersecurity focuses on your overall perimeter, cloud security is a specialized subset that focuses on protecting data hosted off-site.
We see many issues arise from a “traditional” computing model – meaning all your data (whether on-premises or even in the cloud) is stored only in your environment. This leaves businesses very vulnerable to attack.
Even though you may think you’re properly backing your data up, if you have the backups stored in the same environment, subject to the same security model, if it’s the same network, or there’s at least connectivity between those two, then it’s highly possible that a sophisticated threat actor is going to get in.
They’re going to discover the backups and encrypt those first before they’re even discovered, and then by the time you realize that you’ve been hacked, you’ve already lost those backups. That’s the standard attack methodology for malware and ransomware.
How to Stay Protected
To truly prevent malware, you need a layered defense. Effective risks and mitigation of malware starts with an “air-gapped” strategy—storing your backups in a separate, secure cloud environment like the Crestwood Cloud. This ensures that even if a hacker gains access to your local network, your recovery path remains untouched and unencrypted.
We’ll be making this blog a series, so be sure to subscribe to our feed to learn how.
BUT – if you just can’t wait, Ben Borger teaches you how to do that in this short, informative webinar. Watch the recording here!
Why Traditional Backups Fail (The Risks):
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Connectivity: Backups on the same network are easily found by ransomware.
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Encryption: Modern malware targets backup files first to force a ransom payment.
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Slow Recovery: On-premise restoration can take days, halting business continuity.
The Crestwood Cloud Solution (The Mitigation):
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Network Segmentation: Backups are physically and logically separated from your production environment.
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Immutable Storage: Once data is written to the cloud, it cannot be changed or deleted by unauthorized software.
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Rapid Restore: Quickly spin up virtual environments to keep your business running while the local cleanup begins.
