The ransomware threat is increasing according to
industry analysts. Not only is the frequency of ransomware attacks
growing but the sophistication and the amount of money demanded are also
increasing. For larger organizations, the demands are often for millions
of dollars.
At XenData, they have seen an increase in the
number of customers hit with a devastating ransomware attack. These have
mainly been TV stations in North and South America. Fortunately, XenData
LTO archives have intrinsic properties that allow for straight-forward
data recovery – without paying a ransom!
A XenData archive system maintains all versions
of all files on LTO data tape, including for deleted files. If the
malware gets as far as over-writing any file with an encrypted version,
the original version is still stored on LTO. The XenData support team is
then able to roll back the system to a state just before the attack
occurred and make all the original files available, just as they were
prior to the attack.
A second level of defense is provided by
XenData’s automatic replication of LTO cartridges. This functionality is
included in all XenData systems that manage an LTO library and we
strongly recommend it to all our customers for many reasons, not just
for ransomware protection. When enabled and configured to automatically
create one additional copy of every LTO cartridge, a user can easily
export one tape from the mirrored pair and keep it offline. This creates
an air-gapped version that is immune from cyber-attack.
The use of unalterable WORM (Write Once Read
Many) LTO cartridges provides a third level of defense which is
supported by all XenData LTO archive systems. WORM cartridges are easy
to use in a XenData system as the application interfaces are identical
whether using WORM or rewritable LTO cartridges. XenData systems use the
TAR format when writing to WORM cartridges, as LTFS is not compatible
with WORM tapes.
The use of LTO data tape for large archives
continues to be very popular because it is very cost-effective and
provides a secure long-term storage solution. Now with the growing
ransomware threat, it becomes an even more attractive option.