You may have seen RAVENii in the news recently, as several outlets have covered our new network security contract with the City of Joplin. After being hit with a ransomware attack over the summer, city officials realized they needed a comprehensive cybersecurity solution.

Ransomware Is Rampant

As the Joplin Globe noted, “84% of U.S. organizations and companies have reported phishing or ransomware security incidents in the last year, that the average ransomware payment climbed 82%, from $312,000 last year to $570,000 in the first half of 2021, and that ransomware costs could exceed a quarter of a trillion dollars — that’s trillion, with a “T,” as in (economic) terrorism — by 2031.”

The ransomware attack on the City of Joplin occurred in July and encrypted the city’s data and records, blocking access and even disabling the phone system. What happened to employees’ and residents’ private information is still unknown.

An insurer paid the $320k ransom to prevent the release of personal information. This type of insurance is absolutely necessary with the current prevalence of zero-day vulnerabilities and ransomware attacks, but it is no replacement for a comprehensive cybersecurity plan.

Comprehensive Network Security Is Key

A comprehensive, multi-pronged approach to network security is the key to preventing ransomware attacks. RAVENii urges that all organizations implement these types of services:

• SOC as a Service (SOCaaS) delivers powerful threat detection, incident response, and compliance management with 24/7 monitoring.
• Log Storage to act as a red flag and provide forensic information.
• Vulnerability Management detects and validates patching of any weakness, flaw, or error that could be used to infiltrate their system.
• Managed Endpoint Protection to prevent unauthorized access.
• Network Security Monitoring for collecting, analyzing, and escalating indicators of potential security threats and to detect and respond to intrusions on computer networks.
• Penetration Testing to simulate cyber attacks against their network and systems to check for exploitable vulnerabilities.
• Firewall Monitoring to ensure optimal performance of the network firewalls.
• Security Awareness and Phishing Training to fortify the human firewall of your employees.
• Backup Management to ensure fast recovery from human error, hardware failure, or natural disasters.
• vCISO Advisory Plan to evaluate, create, and direct an Information Security Program Plan.

This type of Comprehensive Security Program will provide all organizations with peace of mind as well as thorough network security.

You Are Not Safe

As we’ve pointed out before, small organizations and even individuals are frequently targeted as well as large organizations like the City of Joplin. No one is safe without a comprehensive security solution. But RAVENii can provide the cybersecurity you need. We will evaluate the information security you have in place and make recommendations based on the requirements of your organization. Call (844) 317-0944 or click here to get protection now.