Vertek Fully Managed Halcyon + FlexMDR

The state of ransomware threat actor groups is constantly evolving, but there are a few trends that have emerged in recent years.

The number of active ransomware groups is increasing. According to a report by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), there were twenty-three known ransomware groups operating in 2020. There are currently over thirty active ransomware groups in 2023. This increase is due to the lucrative nature of ransomware attacks. Ransomware groups can demand millions of dollars in ransom payments, and many victims are willing to pay to get their data back.

Ransomware by the numbers:

• 978,000 Attacks Attempted Daily (Avg. USDOJ)
• $2,000,000 Average Recovery Cost
• $14,000,000,000 Ransomware Industry in 2022
• $10-15,000,000 Avg. Impact to Business

Ransomware groups are becoming more sophisticated. In the past, they would simply encrypt a victim’s data and demand a ransom payment. However, now they are using more sophisticated techniques, such as stealing data and threatening to release it if the ransom is not paid. This makes it more difficult for victims to recover their data without paying the ransom.

Ransomware groups are targeting a wider range of victims. In the past, ransomware groups would primarily target large organizations. However, now they are targeting a wider range of victims, including small businesses, individuals, and even governments. This is because ransomware groups can now easily find and exploit vulnerabilities in a wide range of systems.

Halcyon Anti-Ransomware Engine Ransomware protection requires multiple layers of defense. The risk of letting ransomware run rampant through an organization is too large to leave to a single AI or behavioral model. Halcyon uses multiple unique layers to stop the process of ransomware from completing its task. If a single layer fails, Halcyon responds accordingly. A persistent actor may breach any defense, which is why Halcyon designed an autonomous isolation and recovery layer as a last resort to prevent the spread of ransomware across your company.

Halycon defends along multiple layers through each phase of an attack:

Halcyon Anti-Ransomware is an AI-powered solution that uses a variety of techniques to detect and prevent ransomware, including:

File signature matching: Halcyon Anti-Ransomware has a database of known ransomware signatures. It scans files for these signatures and blocks them if found.

Behavioral analysis: Halcyon Anti-Ransomware also analyzes the behavior of files to detect ransomware. For example, it can detect if a file is trying to encrypt files or delete data.

Deception techniques: Halcyon Anti-Ransomware uses deception techniques to lure ransomware into traps. For example, it can create fake files that look like valuable data. When ransomware tries to encrypt these fake files, the trap is sprung, and the ransomware is prevented from encrypting real data.

Sign me up right?  Well, like any security product, Halcyon needs to be properly deployed, managed, and monitored by a modern SOC that can provide additional oversight, data enrichment and triage expertise to make decisions to respond to identified threats.  Additionally, we believe that Halcyon should be considered complementary to existing client security products and services in place today given the threat landscape is much broader than ransomware alone.  So, how do we make Halcyon and other Client security products work in concert?  Enter Vertek.

Vertek FlexMDR Managed Detection and Response Service Vertek’s Flex MDR service offering provides benefits that can help organizations improve their overall cybersecurity posture in addition to the threat of Ransomware. Here are a few key benefits Vertek provides:

24/7/365 monitoring and threat detection: Vertek’s MDR service can provide 24/7/365 monitoring of all your network and endpoints for signs of malicious activity. This helps to ensure any threats are detected and responded to quickly before they can cause damage.

Expert threat intelligence: Vertek’s MDR service includes access to our team of security experts, who are constantly monitoring the threat landscape and developing new ways to detect and respond to threats. This protects your organization from the latest threats.

Automated response: Vertek’s MDR service includes automated response capabilities, which helps to quickly contain and remediate threats. With automated responses we reduce the impact of a security incident and minimize the amount of time and resources required to recover.

Reporting and insights: Vertek’s MDR service provides detailed reporting and insights into your organization’s security posture. We use this information to identify areas where your security could be improved and to track the effectiveness of your security measures over time.

Vertek FlexMDR with Halcyon Anti-Ransomware

When Vertek FlexMDR is paired with the Halcyon Anti-Ransomware, organizations get a comprehensive solution for protecting against cyber threats, including ransomware. Vertek’s security experts monitor your network 24/7/365 and use advanced threat detection techniques to identify and respond to any cyber threat. Halcyon Anti-Ransomware provides additional protection against ransomware attacks by detecting and preventing ransomware before it can encrypt your data.

Together, Vertek FlexMDR and Halcyon Anti-Ransomware provide you with the peace of mind that your data is protected.

Vertek offers two Halcyon MDR packages; Basic, which monitors your environment for ransomware activity, validates it with threat intelligence, and notifies your support teams of incidents, and Advanced, which lets us add valuable context to the attack and automate the remediation activity. Both packages include advanced analytics and reporting.

Here are some benefits of using Vertek FlexMDR with Halcyon Anti-Ransomware:

Reduced risk of ransomware attacks: Vertek FlexMDR and Halcyon Anti-Ransomware can help to reduce the risk of ransomware attacks by detecting and preventing ransomware before it can encrypt your data.

Faster response to security incidents: Vertek’s security experts respond to security incidents quickly and effectively, helping to minimize the damage caused by a ransomware attack.

Enhanced visibility into security threats: Vertek FlexMDR provides you with detailed reports on your security posture, helping you to identify and mitigate security risks.

Improved efficiency of security operations: Vertek FlexMDR can help to improve the efficiency of security operations by automating many of the tasks involved in responding to security incidents, thereby reducing threat actor dwell time, and improving your overall security posture.

If you are looking for a comprehensive solution for protecting your organization from cyber threats, including ransomware, Vertek FlexMDR with Halcyon Anti-Ransomware is a great option.

For more details on Vertek’s fully managed Halcyon + Flex MDR or any other managed security services, please contact hello@vertek.com or fill out a contact form or www.vertek.com.

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