Traditional Remediation Methods

In this segment, we review the traditional methods for remediation after a cyberattack. If you are already familiar with the steps to recover from a cyberattack, feel free to skip to the next segment, “Cyberattack Remediation with Swimage”.

Seeing ChatGPT is all the rage right now, we decided to use it for the first segment of this month’s newsletter. We queried ChatGPT 4.0 with the following: “How do you remediate PCs after a cyberattack?” The response provided the traditional cyberattack remediation procedures. The full text of the response is as follows:

“Remediating PCs after a cyberattack is a critical step in recovering from the incident and ensuring the systems are clean and secure. Follow these steps to remediate PCs after a cyberattack:

1. Disconnect from the network: Isolate the affected PCs from the network to prevent the malware from spreading to other systems or communicating with the attackers’ servers.
2. Perform a thorough investigation: Collect and analyze evidence to understand the scope and nature of the attack. Identify the type of malware, entry points, and affected systems.
3. Backup data: Before taking further action, create a backup of any important data on the affected PCs, if possible. This will help in case you need to recover any lost data during the remediation process.
4. Disable or remove malware: Use antivirus or anti-malware tools to detect and remove the malware. In some cases, manual removal may be necessary if automated tools cannot fully eliminate the threat.
5. Update and patch systems: Install the latest security patches and updates for your operating system, software, and firmware. This will help close any vulnerabilities that may have been exploited during the cyberattack.
6. Perform a system restore or reformat: In cases where the malware has caused extensive damage or is difficult to remove, you may need to perform a system restore or reformat the affected PCs. This will return the system to a clean state, but you will lose any data and settings not backed up.
7. Restore data from backups: Once the system is clean and secure, restore any
   necessary data from the backups you made earlier. Make sure the backups are not infected with malware before restoring.
8. Strengthen security measures: Implement stronger security measures, such as multi-factor authentication, firewalls, and regular vulnerability assessments to prevent future attacks.
9. Train employees: Educate employees about cybersecurity best practices and how to recognize and report potential threats.
10. Continuous monitoring: Regularly monitor your systems for any signs of compromise, and keep your antivirus and anti-malware software up to date to detect and prevent future attacks.

Remember that every cyberattack is unique, and the remediation process may vary depending on the specific circumstances. Consult with a cybersecurity expert if needed, to ensure you take the appropriate steps to remediate your PCs effectively.”

Cyberattack Remediation with Swimage

ChatGPT describes the traditional response to a cyberattack. However, Swimageremediates in a better, faster way.

The best way to utilize Swimage is as a preemptive disaster recovery (DR) tool. Automated remediation may be triggered by communication from the security stack, started from the Swimage portal by a technician, or started by the end-user.

One of the first automated steps is to take a snapshot of the system. The snapshot may be removed from the device and used for forensics.

Swimage rebuilds systems from updated known-good sources and restores settings and data (after it has been scanned and deemed safe). Swimage may also restore data from a backup source, if desired.

Swimage is not demanding on the company network or the Internet, so an entire organization’s PCs may be recovered simultaneously.

Remote systems are also recovered quickly and easily by a tech through the portal or via self-service, eliminating the need to ship the PCs to a service center for remediation.

Traditional recovery methods are highly manual and labor-intensive. Swimage automation remediates systems via zero-touch or light touch, drastically reducing the labor hour requirements.

Most systems are recovered in less than 30 minutes, with complete functionality on first login (including security protection). No need to wait for software patches or security policy to be applied.

Swimage automation and light bandwidth usage allow an entire organization to be remediated in hours, instead of days or months.

What if an organization is struck by a cyberattack without having Swimage preemptively installed? Swimage can still be used to recover the PCs. Recovery content may be delivered to the PCs via the network, Internet, or Swimage Recovery Stick. Then Swimage automation steps in and completes the remediation.

To learn more about Swimage remediation capabilities, visit Swimage Disaster Recovery or contact us at info@Swimage.com.
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