Don’t Wanna Pay Ransom Gangs? Test Your Backups (krebsonsecurity.com)

Article summary

The article discusses the importance of testing backups to prevent losses from ransomware attacks. It suggests that simply having backups is not enough, and that they should be regularly tested to ensure their integrity. The discussion reveals that having a robust backup system is crucial for disaster recovery and business continuity. Regular testing of backups can help identify vulnerabilities and ensure that data can be recovered quickly in case of an attack.

Main themes

• backup testing
• ransomware prevention
• disaster recovery
• security measures
• data integrity
• compliance and tax implications

What commenters say

• Regular testing of backups is crucial to ensure their integrity and ability to recover data in case of an attack.
• Giving gift cards as rewards to employees who can tamper with backups may not be the best approach due to tax implications and potential metadata leaks.
• Implementing robust security measures, such as multi-factor authentication and regular software updates, can help prevent ransomware attacks.
• Some companies may be forced to pay ransom to prevent sensitive data from being released publicly, highlighting the need for a robust backup and disaster recovery plan.
• The 3-2-1 backup rule, which involves having three copies of data on different mediums and at least one offsite copy, is a good starting point for ensuring data integrity.
• Regularly scrubbing old data and implementing versioning and object locking can help reduce the risk of data loss and ransomware attacks.
• Some argue that mandatory 2FA and regular software updates can help prevent ransomware attacks, while others believe that these measures are not enough to prevent all types of attacks.
• The use of storage snapshots and replications is not a substitute for regular backups, and can be vulnerable to destruction in case of a ransomware attack.