Until recently, few in hospitality displayed any concern about ransomware or even knew about their attacks. The latest string of attacks in the news target corporations rather than individuals, creating a new headache for IT professionals worldwide. Ransomware is computer malware that gains access of your business’s computer systems, encrypts your files and requires your business to pay a ransom to have your files un-encrypted. Although this extortion has been around for several years, there’s been an uptick in its use in hospitality.

Knowing how to fight back if your company is attacked by ransomware is important, but knowing the proactive steps to minimize the odds of an attack is paramount. From encouraging a culture of caution, to safeguarding your intellectual property, we offer three tips for protecting your business against ransom attacks.

1. Educate Your Organization

Prevention is the most effective defense against ransomware. It’s critical for employees to not only understand what ransomware is and the threat it poses, but to also recognize the common engineering methods used. Provide your team with specific examples and transparent instructions on what to do if they encounter a potential ransomware lure.

2. Secure Your Assets

Antivirus software should be considered essential for any business to protect against viruses, to help prevent a ransom attack and other risks. Anti-Ransomware uses advanced, proactive technology that monitors the status of ransomware and stops it instantly before it ever touches your files. Continually ensure that your security software is up to date and working properly to protect against newly identified threats. By keeping all business applications patched and updated, you’ll minimize all vulnerabilities and stand a much better chance of avoiding an attack.

3. Back Up Your Data

The simplest way to diminish the effect of ransomware attacks is to maintain offline, offsite and regular backups. An enterprise backup solution serves as the last line of defense for your business and its data. This allows all your systems to be rolled back to a point in time before the breach occurred, with minimal human intervention and downtime. When a daily backup becomes part of your regular closing procedure, customer databases, accounts and book-keeping files will always be up-to-date.

Ransomware is a growing problem in the hospitality industry due to its effectiveness and return on investment for hackers. Be sure your business takes the necessary steps to protect company and guest data as well as the overall security of your organization.