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Ransomware

Bridgeport Schools computer network hit by ransomware attack.

On January 8, 2019, the Bridgeport Public Schools fell victim to a ransomware attack. The virus locked officials out of the district’s network, and shortly after hackers demanded Bridgeport Schools pay a ransom in exchange for decryption keys. So far, there has been no evidence of any data theft from the attack.

What happened?

Hackers seem to have gained access to Bridgeport Schools’ systems through email phishing. Teachers were unable to access their teaching materials stored on the affected server. All files stored on cloud storage platforms like Microsoft 365 and Google Drive are reported to be safe from the attack.

As a security measure, all employees were requested to change their passwords. Fortunately, the personal information of Bridgeport Schools’ students and teachers was unaffected. The district notified the Department of Homeland Security about the ransomware attack. The IT security team is looking for alternatives to regain access to its systems without paying the ransom.

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How can ManageEngine help with such situations?

ManageEngine provides solutions that can help deal with ransomware attacks and prevent email phishing attacks from happening in the first place.

Exchange Reporter Plus offers a host of reports that help you locate suspicious emails, both sent and received, based on keywords in their subject or body. Often the content and the sender of the email come across as valid, tricking users into clicking malicious emails and causing serious damage to businesses. This is why email attachments deserve critical attention. With Exchange Reporter Plus, it's easy to set up filters to look out for malicious attachments—whether they're TXT, PPT, or BAT files.

You can locate emails based on:

  • Attachment name: Display all messages in your organization that have an attachment with a specific name. Knowing the names of malicious files helps you take necessary steps to stop email-bound threats.
  • Attachment type: Identify mailbox content based on an attachment’s file format to spot malicious software transfer over email.

In attacks where the content and sender information vary, you can customize mailbox content reports to include all the keywords these different emails use. Get started now with your free, 30-day trial of Exchange Reporter Plus.

DataSecurity Plus is an automated ransomware threat identification and mitigation solution that:

  • Generates real-time alerts when an attempted ransomware attack is detected.
    1. The main indicator for any ransomware attack is an unusual amount of operations on files and folders. DataSecurity Plus monitors the frequency of file modifications by each user, and issues alerts whenever the number of modifications crosses a specified threshold within a set period of time. Each alert also indicates the username, source, date, and time of the incident, as well as other parameters that pave the way for further investigation.
  • Offers a customizable and automated response system to quarantine ransomware attacks.
    1. DataSecurity Plus uses a built-in ransomware detection and response mechanism to lock down infected devices and prevent further damage caused by ransomware spreading to storage devices or network systems. You can also set up your own automated responses, including the execution of a batch file, to quickly respond to ransomware attack alerts.
  • ransomware-attack-screenshot-show

    • Simplifies forensic analysis.
      1. DataSecurity Plus generates customizable, in-depth, audit-ready reports on all file-related changes, access attempts, events, and share permissions.

Here are eight best practices to help you avoid cyberattacks and protect your organization. Try out all of DataSecurity Plus' features yourself by downloading a free, 30-day trial.

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