The Importance of Ransomware Training for Employees

A ransomware infection can be costly and disruptive, especially if the only way to return to normal business operations is to pay the cybercriminals’ ransom. How can you stop ransomware from interrupting business continuity and recover quickly when attacks occur?

With a zero trust approach, you can detect and respond to ransomware by proactively managing your cybersecurity risks, identifying vulnerabilities and minimizing the impact of attacks.

Neglecting cybersecurity as an ongoing process can result in catastrophic effects. Interruptions to operations, reduced system efficacy, non-compliance, ransom demands, fines and more. The impact of a cyber incident can ripple through an organization for days, weeks, even months.

Employees might be an organization's weakest link, but they are also its first line of defense against ransomware and other malware attacks. Supplement existing security awareness trainings with ransomware-specific guidance, or hold separate educational sessions on ransomware to drive home the severity of the threat and the role employees play in mitigating it. It is important to reiterate this last part -- the importance of humans in prevention -- to build a strong security culture and a workforce that recognizes its members are critical pieces of the larger cybersecurity puzzle.

Having employees who recognize the warning signs of an attack and can implement prevention measures goes a long way toward building a security awareness culture and keeping bad actors and malware out of the network. Educated users help the organization avoid the financial, legal and reputational costs of a ransomware attack.

Before overwhelming employees with information, ensure they understand the basics of ransomware. It's likely not a new topic for anyone, given its prevalence in the headlines, but be sure to cover what ransomware is and emphasize the important role employees play in ransomware prevention, detection and mitigation.

Once employees are familiar with the concept of ransomware as part of their ongoing cybersecurity training, delve deeper into the specifics, including types of ransomware attacks and attack vectors, signs of a ransomware infection and how to respond to a possible ransomware attack.

Ransomware is a type of malicious software or malware designed to take over a computer. It works by encrypting files on a computer, making them inaccessible until the victim pays the ransomware operator a sum of money, usually in cryptocurrency (favored for its anonymity and ease of online transaction). The ransom payment is demanded within a specific time window, usually hours or days after infection occurs, with a threat to publish or delete the encrypted data if the victim refuses to, or cannot, pay.

As with most malware distribution, ransomware is most commonly deployed via email—often through phishing attacks—or exploit kits (from malicious ads).

Ransomware attacks can cause extensive damage to organizations of all sizes and types but are especially damaging to an organization whose backups are not adequate or up to date. The costs of a ransomware attack to an organization go beyond just the ransom to regain access to their systems and data, as the reputation and legal jeopardy can be significant enough to threaten the future of many businesses.

Multiple types of ransomware exist. Knowing the differences might not be as important to employees as understanding the intended consequences of ransomware attacks: data encryption, data loss and data exfiltration -- and a potentially costly ransom, as well as expensive and time-consuming recovery for the victim.

That said, it can be beneficial to understand the various varieties of ransomware users could encounter -- although they all usually appear under the same guise. The types of ransomware include locker, crypto, scareware, extortionware, wiper malware, double extortion, triple extortion and ransomware as a service.

More importantly, employees should be aware of how attackers infiltrate networks. This way they better understand what to look for and how to prevent it. The top three ransomware attack vectors are as follows:

1. Social engineering and phishing. Attackers use seemingly innocuous emails with malicious links or attachments to trick users into inadvertently downloading malware. Types of social engineering and phishing attacks include smishing, vishing, spear phishing and watering hole attacks.
2. Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) and credential abuse. Attackers use legitimate credentials -- usually sourced from brute-force or credential-stuffing attacks or purchased off the dark web -- to log into corporate systems, often via RDP, a protocol that enables remote access.
3. Software vulnerabilities. Attackers exploit unpatched or insecure versions of software to gain access to an organization's network.

Ransomware can also infiltrate systems via drive-by download attacks, malvertising, removable media such as USBs and pirated software.

The best way to protect against ransomware is to prevent it with a comprehensive security awareness training program. Training your employees can mitigate the risk of a ransomware attack within your organization while also providing them with the knowledge to spot suspicious behavior.

If your organization doesn’t have an in-house IT department or information security team, there are several resources available online that can help you create and deploy a security awareness training program that’s right for you.

As the saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Investing a small amount of time and effort to train your employees about ransomware can pay dividends by reducing the risk of a costly cyber incident.