We Were Attacked!
We are in the process of hiring an additional estimator. Last month, while opening what we thought was a resume attached to a potential hire’s email, ransomware was unleashed on our company.
It completely disabled the computer of the person that opened the attachment. It also locked and removed files located on our company server.
When we realized what was happening, we immediately contacted our IT company. They quickly shut down the server remotely to prevent it from spreading to other computers in our office.
Our IT company dispatched people to our office and they arrived within an hour of the attack. They went to work right away to determine the threat. They worked late into the day to isolate and remove the malware. Then, they restored our server and workstations one by one.
Since we automatically backup our server daily, the IT guys were able to restore the entire system from the previous day’s system backup file. However, we lost all information and files that were created on the day of the attack.
Some of the main areas that were affected the most:
- Our Senior CAD Operator lost some drawings of foundations that he had recently completed.
- Payroll items entered by our Office Manager were lost and had to be redone.
- Our Administrative Assistant lost many files that were stored in an area that was not included in the daily backups.
- I lost a pre-application video that I created to show potential new hires what type of work we do. That video took me 5 ½ hours to create, and then in an instant the saved file was gone. Fortunately, it only took me 4 ½ hours to create it again the next day.
All things considered, we came out of the crisis pretty well. It could have been disastrous. Had we lost all of the files and information that is on our servers, we would have lost the ability to operate. The interruption to our operations, or the time and cost to create all new files, systems and information could have put us out of business.
Fortunately, our preparedness and our IT company’s great service allowed us to come into the office the next morning and get back to work.
Lessons Learned :
1. Have a good backup system. Create a process that automatically backs up your server or computers at night.
2. Backup your entire company daily. A lot can happen in a day; be sure to back it up.
3. Take the weekly backup off-site. While this didn’t apply to our situation, most backups are stored next to the server. If a fire burns your building down, the backup would be destroyed as well.
4. Have a relationship with a good IT company. We use Southeastern Computer Associates in Kennesaw, www.SCA-ATL.com, and they do a fantastic job for us.
5. You are never completely protected. Bad guys are constantly finding new ways to get around anti-virus and firewall software. You can only hope to minimize the damages caused by an attack if it happens.
6. Store all information in areas that get backed up. Files that were stored on a user’s desktop were not backed up, and were lost forever. Be sure that all files are stored where they are backed up.
If you don’t have a daily backup system for your electronic files, I strongly urge you to put that at the top of your “To Do” list.
To Your Success,
