Client Profile
The Organization:
Our client is an Edmonton-based design firm (for privacy reasons, we’re unable to share their name, just their story). Their team of experienced architects specialize in many types of projects ranging from commercial retail and office, to national restaurant chains in Canada.
The Challenge:
When firm called us, they were in a full crisis mode. A hacker had installed ransomware on their company’s server and was holding their company’s data hostage. Their business was in grave peril.
"The hacker got through the unprotected firewall and installed ransomware and encrypted the firm’s data."
Some Background:
The firm called ARC Business Solutions previous to the security hack and requested an I.T. Audit. We preformed the audit and identified the problem of an insecure firewall and provided solutions. The firm at the time decided to hold off for the time being. The security hacker got through the unprotected firewall and installed ransomware and encrypted the firm’s data. The hackers held the company’s server hostage and requested ransom of $3000 worth of bitcoin. The firm paid it in desperation and received nothing in return.
The Solution Highlight:
In situations like this, drastic measures need to be taken. ARC shut down and cut off all systems from the internet, and systematically cleansed the infection from the system. Although the situation was not ideal for the client to have all systems temporarily shut down, ARC was successful in preventing further threats.
We isolated the server and were also able to recover valuable data and scrub the software from the database. Lastly, the firm is now protecting against any future attacks as we have implemented security measures and modern firewalls.
It is clear that the best way to respond to a ransomware attack is to avoid having one in the first place. Other than that, making sure your valuable data is protected will ensure that your downtime and loss will be minimal or none.
