www.ironmountain.com Open in urlscan Pro
20.88.125.56  Public Scan

Form analysis
1 forms found in the DOM

POST

<form id="fileUploadForm" enctype="multipart/form-data" method="post" target="fileUploadIframe"><input type="file" id="fileSelector" name="file" style="display: none;"><input name="filename" type="hidden"></form>

Text Content

Skip to content
+18446836237


Global search
United States
+18446836237
About Us
 * About Us
 * Careers
 * Corporate Responsibility
 * Leadership

News & Stories Events Investors Customer Support
Login
 * Login
 * Iron Mountain Connect
 * Partner Connect
 * SecureSync
 * Pay My Bill Online
 * SITAD Portal
 * Data Center Portal
 * ReQuest Web
 * Express (sierra26)

Toggle navigation
 * Solutions Expand sub navigation
   * Solutions
     
     BUSINESS CHALLENGES
     
     Business Challenges
        
      * Accelerate your small business
        
        Move your SMB forward with shred, store, scan and itad solutions
     
      * Covid-19
        
        Achieve organizational resilience through COVID-19 and beyond
     
      * Enable governance and compliance
        
        Reduce corporate risk by implementing information governance best
        practices
     
      * Ensure business resilience
        
        Cloud solutions that help organizations effectively access and control
        their information
     
      * Jumpstart your digital transformation
        
        Accelerate your digital transformation journey in 5 steps
     
      * Protect your valuable assets
        
        Safely store, manage and backup your digital and physical assets
     
      * Securely dispose of records and assets
        
        Shredding, recycling and destruction of documents, media and IT devices
     
      * Sustainably manage information
        
        Ensure you are managing your information in an environmentally
        responsible way.
     
     INDUSTRIES
     
     Industries
        
      * Banking
      * Energy
      * Entertainment
      * Fine Arts
      * Healthcare
      * Insurance
      * Law Firms
      * Library
      * Mortgage and Loan
      * Life Sciences
      * Public Sector
      * Retail
      * Small Business Solutions
     
     Free Quote
 * Services Expand sub navigation
   * Services
     
     DIGITAL SERVICES
     
     Digital Services
        
      * Document Scanning & Digital Storage
        
        Moving business forward with digitization and automation
     
      * Digital Mailroom
        
        Digitize and automate mailroom workflows
     
      * Information Governance Advisory Services
        
        Information governance and compliance consulting
     
      * Information Management and Content Services Solutions
        
        SaaS solutions to unlock the value of your data
     
      * Inventory Management and Reporting
        
        Customer hub and order tracking
     
      * Policy Center
        
        Record retention and privacy policy management platform
     
      * Workflow Automation
        
        Make your workflows more effective and efficient
     
     SECURE SHREDDING
     
     Secure Shredding
        
      * Bulk Paper Shredding
        
        One-time bulk paper shred services from the best in the business
     
      * Residential Shredding
        
        Drop-off and pickup services with Iron Mountain and our partner network
     
      * Secure Shredding
        
        Securely shred your records and documents
     
     IT ASSET DISPOSITION
     
     IT Asset Disposition
        
      * Secure IT Asset Disposition
        
        Recycle, remarket or dispose of your IT assets
     
     SECURE STORAGE AND LOGISTICS
     
     Secure Storage and Logistics
        
      * Clean Start
        
        Optimize your workspace and reduce cost
     
      * Consumer Storage
        
        On-demand storage with MakeSpace
     
      * File Room
        
        Offload the management of your active files
     
      * Fine Arts and Valuable Artifacts
        
        Crozier Fine Arts - fine art storage and logistics
     
      * Offsite Records Storage
        
        Store documents in secure & compliant facilities
     
      * Offsite Tape Vaulting
        
        Tape and media backup and storage services
     
      * Project Services
        
        Solutions to your records management challenges
     
      * Records Storage Supplies
        
        Gain quick access to your inventory and improve governance
     
      * Secure Tape Transport
        
        Move tape and media securely
     
      * Smart Sort Records Management
        
        Sort, organize, and manage physical files at scale
     
      * Warehousing & Logistics
        
        Agile warehousing, fulfillment, and transportation services for a
        dynamic supply chain environment
     
     CLOUD STORAGE AND MIGRATION
     
     Cloud Storage and Migration
        
      * Data Centers
        
        From single cabinets to wholesale data centers
     
      * Secure Offline Storage
        
        Cost-effective long-term storage for archival data with built-in
        safeguards for ransomware recovery
     
      * Data Protection
        
        Protect critical data on any system
     
      * Data Restoration and Migration
        
        Restore and migrate data in and out of the cloud
     
      * Iron Cloud Data Management
        
        Backup, recover and archive cloud data
     
      * Object Storage
        
        Active cloud data archive services
     
     Free Quote
 * Data Centers Expand sub navigation
   * Data Centers
     
     DATA CENTERS
     
     Data Centers
     
     APAC LOCATIONS
     
     APAC Locations
        
      * Delhi-NCR
      * Mumbai
      * Pune
      * Singapore
     
     EMEA LOCATIONS
     
     EMEA Locations
        
      * Amsterdam
      * Frankfurt
      * London
     
     NA LOCATIONS
     
     NA Locations
        
      * Boston
      * Denver
      * Kansas City
      * New Jersey
      * Ohio
      * Pennsylvania
      * Phoenix
      * Scottsdale
      * Virginia
     
     COLOCATION
     
     Colocation
        
      * Our Data Centers
      * Our Services
      * Network Connectivity
      * Customer Solutions
     
     PARTNERS
     
     Partners
        
      * Channel Partners
      * Real Estate Brokers
      * Strategic Alliances
     
     ABOUT
     
     About
        
      * Social Responsibility
      * Resources
      * Support
      * Careers
     
     ECOSYSTEM
     
     Ecosystem
     
     SECURITY AND COMPLIANCE
     
     Security and Compliance
     
     SUSTAINABILITY
     
     Sustainability
     Free Quote
 * Resources Expand sub navigation
   * Resources
     
     RESOURCES
     
     Resources
        
      * Customer Success Stories
      * Infogoto Blog
      * Knowledge Center
      * On-Demand Webinar Hub
      * Small Business Academy
     
     Free Quote
 * Buy Online Expand sub navigation
   * Buy Online
     
     PURCHASE OUR MOST POPULAR SERVICES ONLINE
     
     Purchase Our Most Popular Services Online
        
      * Bulk Paper Shredding
        
        Purchase one-time bulk shred pickup services from the best in the
        business
     
      * Recurring Paper Shredding
        
        Get your sensitive documents picked up and shredded at a schedule that
        works for your business
     
     Free Quote
 * Free Quote
 * +18446836237
 * About Us Expand sub navigation
   * About Us
   * Careers
   * Corporate Responsibility
   * Leadership
 * News & Stories
 * Events
 * Investors
 * Customer Support
 * Login Expand sub navigation
   * Login
   * Iron Mountain Connect
   * Partner Connect
   * SecureSync
   * Pay My Bill Online
   * SITAD Portal
   * Data Center Portal
   * ReQuest Web
   * Express (sierra26)

Blogs and Articles

Ransomware Is Not Going Away, Air-Gapped Tape Helps Solve the Problem



Blogs and Articles


RANSOMWARE IS NOT GOING AWAY, AIR-GAPPED TAPE HELPS SOLVE THE PROBLEM


 1. Home
 2. Resources
 3. Ransomware Is Not Going Away, Air-Gapped Tape Helps Solve the Problem

Share 

AddThis Sharing Buttons
Share to FacebookFacebookShare to LinkedInLinkedInShare to TwitterTwitter

By: Rich Gadomski, Fujifilm, Paul Lupino and Tom Trela, Iron Mountain

It was not long ago that ransomware threats caught the attention of the nation
when WannaCry burst onto the scene and was widely covered in the press in May of
2017. Fast forward to the COVID era of today, as morning TV shows are featuring
news that healthcare providers and hospitals are under increasing ransomware
attacks due to their vulnerability at a time when these providers are otherwise
overwhelmed, fighting a stubborn pandemic that does not want to go quietly into
the night.

The threat against the healthcare sector prompted an alert on October 28th from
CISA (Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency) entitled "Ransomware
Activity Targeting the Healthcare and Public Health Sector." The introduction
reads: "This joint cybersecurity advisory was coauthored by CISA, the FBI and
the Dept. of Health and Human Services (HHS)…and describes the tactics,
techniques and procedures used by cybercriminals against targets in the
Healthcare and Public Health Sector to infect systems with ransomware, notably
Ryuk and Conti, for financial gain. CISA, FBI and HHS have credible information
of an increased and imminent cybercrime threat to U.S. hospitals and healthcare
providers."

That's chilling. Most organizations can't effectively operate without their
computer systems or data. Hospitals are no different with the safety and
well-being of patients hanging in the balance.

Of course, healthcare providers are not the only victims as cybercriminals
relentlessly attack many victims in a multitude of markets. An Enterprise
Strategy Group report from earlier this year showed that 60% of survey
respondents from a broad cross section of industries experienced at least one
ransomware attack during 2019. Looking forward, the situation does not get any
better as a July 2020 report from Gartner predicts that "Cybersecurity threats
and ransomware attacks will impact 95% of Infrastructure & Operations leaders
through 2024."

That's a staggering prediction considering the billions of dollars at stake, not
to mention system downtime, lost or compromised data and damaged goodwill.

So, what do the experts suggest as best practices to mitigate risk?

Here are just a few (of many) from CISA:

 * patch operating systems, software and firmware as soon as manufactures
   release updates

 * regularly change passwords to network systems and accounts

 * use multi-factor authentication where possible

 * identify critical assets such as patient database servers, medical records
   and telehealth and telework infrastructure; create backups of these systems
   and house the backups offline from the network

 * implement network segmentation; sensitive data should not reside on the same
   server and network segment as the email environment

 * set antivirus and anti-malware solutions to automatically update; conduct
   regular scans

The FBI, CISA and HHS also recommend the following:

 * regularly back up data, air gap, and password protect backup copies offline

 * implement a recovery plan to maintain and retain multiple copies of sensitive
   or proprietary data and servers in a physically separate, secure location

 * focus on awareness and training; because end users are targeted, make
   employees and stakeholders aware of the threats – such as ransomware and
   phishing scams – and how they are delivered


95%

A July 2020 report from Gartner predicts that "Cybersecurity threats and
ransomware attacks will impact 95% of Infrastructure & Operations leaders
through 2024."





All good suggestions and recommendations to be sure. But getting back to a bit
of history, it wasn't long after WannaCry caused so many tears, that the Wall
Street Journal published an article on Sept. 17th, 2017, entitled "What's Old is
New. Companies are Once Again Storing Data on Tape, Just in Case." The article
stated that "storing data on tape seems impossibly inconvenient in an age of
easy access cloud computing. But that is the big security advantage of this
vintage technology, since hackers have no way to get at the information." It
would probably be inaccurate to say that the concept of "air gap" was born
around this time. Tape was always designed to be easily removable and
transportable; with the ability to serve as nearline storage or offline storage
in support of the golden 3-2-1 rule (three copies of data, two different types
of media, one stored offline).

Perhaps unexpectedly, today's modern tape is the perfect air gap medium. The
technology has not been sitting still and now offers high native capacities up
to 20 TB on a palm sized single real cartridge and has the lowest TCO of any
storage medium with best in class reliability and archival life. As a result,
companies from hyperscale cloud service providers, to local healthcare
providers, are turning to modern tape, not just to help manage today's data
deluge, but to hedge against cybersecurity threats as well.

In today's battle against ransomware, it makes sense to protect valuable data
assets by backing up your data and taking it offline, to a secure and isolated
location. Because tape has the lowest TCO of any storage medium and does not
consume energy needlessly unless mounted in a drive, it makes economic sense to
do so.

According to best practices posted by the FBI, it is not recommended to agree to
pay ransom amounts because it does not guarantee an organization will regain
access to their data. In some cases, victims who pay are then asked to pay more
or retargeted once again. Paying also inadvertently encourages this criminal
business model. The FBI post does go on to say, "Backups are critical in
ransomware recovery and response; if you are infected, a backup may be the best
way to recover your critical data." To avoid the tears, better make that an
offline, air-gapped backup.


Related Services & Solutions Secure Offline Storage
FREE QUOTE

GET A FREE QUOTE NOW


Get Started


RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

best practice guides

DEMYSTIFYING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION – IDENTIFYING OPPORTUNITY

View More

infographics and tools

HOW TO ENGAGE YOUR SUPPLY CHAIN FOR TRUE SUSTAINABILITY

View More

whitepapers

RESILIENCE REIMAGINED

View More

case studies

NATIONAL SECONDARY CARE CHAIN IMPROVES PATIENT REFERRAL PROCESS WITH IRON
MOUNTAIN

View More

About Usdo not remove text
 * Careers
 * Certifications and Awards
 * Corporate Responsibility
 * Customer Success Stories
 * History
 * Investors
 * Leadership Team
 * News & Stories
 * Events
 * Supplier Diversity

Business Challenges

do not remove text
 * Protect your valuable assets
 * Securely dispose of records and assets
 * Enable governance and compliance
 * Ensure business resilience
 * Drive business efficiency and optimization
 * Accelerate your small business
 * Covid-19
 * Sustainably manage information

Industrydo not remove text
 * Banking
 * Mortgage and Loan
 * Energy
 * Entertainment
 * Healthcare
 * Insurance
 * Legal
 * Library
 * Life Sciences
 * Public Sector
 * Retail
 * Small Business

Contactdo not remove text
 * +18446836237
 * Login
 * Pay a Bill Online
 * Sales
 * Support
 * Invoice Information

Worldwide
 * North America
 * Latin America
 * Europe and Southern Africa
 * Middle East, North Africa and Turkey
 * Asia and Pacific


 * Canada
 * United States

 * Argentina
 * Brazil
 * Chile
 * Colombia
 * Mexico
 * Peru

 * Austria
 * Belgium
 * Bulgaria
 * Croatia
 * Cyprus
 * Czech Republic
 * Denmark
 * Estonia
 * Finland
 * France

 * Germany
 * Greece
 * Hungary
 * Ireland
 * Latvia
 * Lesotho
 * Lithuania
 * Netherlands
 * Norway
 * Poland

 * Romania
 * Serbia
 * Slovakia
 * South Africa
 * Spain
 * Sweden
 * Switzerland
 * Ukraine
 * United Kingdom

 * Bahrain
 * Egypt
 * Jordan
 * Kuwait
 * Morocco
 * Oman
 * Saudi Arabia
 * Turkey
 * United Arab Emirates

 * Australia
 * China - Mainland
 * China - Hong Kong SAR
 * India
 * Indonesia
 * Korea
 * Malaysia
 * New Zealand
 * Philippines
 * Singapore

 * Taiwan
 * Thailand
 * Vietnam


 * Sitemap
 * Website Terms and Conditions
 * Privacy Notice
 * Your California Privacy Rights

Your California Privacy Rights | Website Terms and Conditions | Privacy Notice

© 2022 Iron Mountain Incorporated. All Rights Reserved.

Need help? ×

Hi! I'm an automated assistant to help you get the information you need. Would
you like to start a live chat with our experts?

Start Chat Close


word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word
word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word
word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word
word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word
word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word
word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word
word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word
word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word
word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word
word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word
word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word
word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word word
word word word word word word word word

mmMwWLliI0fiflO&1
mmMwWLliI0fiflO&1
mmMwWLliI0fiflO&1
mmMwWLliI0fiflO&1
mmMwWLliI0fiflO&1
mmMwWLliI0fiflO&1
mmMwWLliI0fiflO&1


RECOMMENDED FOR YOU

 * IT Recycling, Remarketing & Disposal - Secure IT Asset Destruction | Iron
   Mountain
   


Live chat:Chat with an Expert