Have you backed up today?

The question is not when you will be the target of a cyber attack, but how many times

During 2023, there has been an increase in the number of cyber attacks. Veeam reports that up to 85% of organisations have been compromised. Hackers’ work is also made easier by the use of artificial intelligence, which they use to automate the creation of malicious content or to search for software vulnerabilities. Phishing emails continue to be the most used attack vector.

Ransom. To pay or not to pay?

Data from Veeam’s extensive survey shows that 80% of companies eventually paid the ransom, although 41% had a “no pay” policy. The problem is that paying hackers often doesn’t solve the situation. Data may fail to be recovered (about a quarter of companies have experienced this), and it greatly increases the chance of future attacks. The truth is that last year 77% of ransoms were paid for by insurance policies. However, the cost of insurance has been rising steadily and some US insurers are tightening the conditions for claims. So the ideal would be ‘not to negotiate with terrorists’ and not to pay. That is the only way to break this vicious circle.

Prevention and immutability are key

It’s a bit of a cliché, but the most effective tool in the fight against cyber threats is prevention. This means proper endpoint security, regular employee training and a robust backup strategy in the spirit of Veeam’s Golden Rule. Thus, the famous “cipher” 3 – 2‑1 – 1‑0, which we have already discussed in a previous article. The key feature is immutability, as attackers are increasingly targeting the backups themselves. Data marked with this flag cannot be changed or deleted for a specified period of time.

At Geetoo, we can offer you two options to ensure your backups are protected from potential attackers. The first option is to use Geetoo Veeam Cloud Backup with Insider Protection, which ensures the security of your data even if an attacker gains access to the backup server. The second option is S3 object storage, where you can create “indelible” backups of your data offsite.

Martin Bajer, Backup & EUC Specialist