Best Course of Action for CIOs in Response to Ransomware Attacks
Question
The CIO of an enterprise learns the payroll server of a competitor has been the victim of ransomware.
To help plan for the possibility of ransomed corporate data, what should be the CIO's FIRST course of action?
Answers
Explanations
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A. B. C. D.D.
Given the scenario, where the CIO of an enterprise learns that a competitor's payroll server has been the victim of ransomware, it is essential to plan for the possibility of similar attacks. Therefore, the FIRST course of action for the CIO should be to back up corporate data to a secure location, as stated in option A.
Backing up corporate data is a critical preventive measure against ransomware attacks. In case of a successful ransomware attack, the organization can recover the lost data from the backup, minimizing the impact of the attack. However, it is essential to ensure that the backup data is stored in a secure location, protected from the same threats as the primary data. The backup data should also be regularly updated to ensure that the organization can recover the latest version of the data in case of a ransomware attack.
Option B suggests developing a policy to address ransomware, which is an important step to prevent ransomware attacks. However, it should not be the FIRST course of action as it takes time to develop a comprehensive policy. Moreover, even with a policy in place, the organization needs to back up its data regularly to ensure the effectiveness of the policy.
Option C suggests requiring the development of key risk indicators (KRIs) to identify the risk of ransomware attacks. While KRIs are useful in identifying risks, they are not the FIRST course of action. Before developing KRIs, the organization needs to ensure that its data is secure by backing it up to a secure location.
Option D suggests requesting a targeted risk assessment, which is an important step in identifying the organization's vulnerabilities to ransomware attacks. However, it is not the FIRST course of action as it takes time to conduct a risk assessment. Moreover, the organization needs to ensure that its data is secure by backing it up to a secure location, regardless of the results of the risk assessment.
In conclusion, while all the options are important steps to prevent ransomware attacks, the FIRST course of action for the CIO of an enterprise should be to back up corporate data to a secure location.
