Business Technology Insights

The Importance of Zero-Trust Application Control to Stop Ransomware

Written by Secure Managed Services | August 31, 2022

Ransomware is becoming an all-too-common threat that can cost businesses millions of dollars. Cybercriminals today are using file-less malware to infect computer systems in addition to phishing scams and other techniques. Luckily Secure Managed Services includes added protections against those threats.

 

While authorities have had limited success at catching ransomware perpetrators, companies frequently must resort to paying their ransom to restore their systems and prevent significant long-term financial and reputational damage. Prevention is key for this reason.

Application Control featuring a whitelisting approach can significantly reduce your chances of a devastating malware or ransomware attack. This “zero-trust” approach focuses on only allowing the files you need to run in your environment and blocking everything else out. 

 

What Is Application Control?

The best way to thwart a potentially devastating ransomware attack is to prevent the malware from infiltrating your system. Besides proactively training employees on cybersecurity best practices, you'll also need to implement basic access control solutions. 

Application Control software can match various types of computer networks to predetermined models. It can identify specific traffic flows as belonging to certain applications and classify them in multiple ways. For example, it can classify them by the level of security threat they pose. 

Upon installation, the software will scan the system to identify executable files (including file-less threats) and programs and whitelist them to prevent the execution of binaries from untrusted sources. When new ransomware enters the system, the software will automatically block its execution without the need for any additional policy because it's not part of the local whitelist. In fact, Application Control software works the opposite of traditional whitelisting security controls by blocking by default unless specific criteria is met. For example, disallowing executables unless having a specific name, from a specific application, run by a specific user, connecting or using a specific IP address, etc.

Why Choose Centre Technologies for Application Control Software?

Ransomware and other malware attacks can occur in only a few minutes. Centre Technologies offers application control solutions, like those from ThreatLocker, that can stop these threats from infecting your computer networks before they can do significant damage. They provide excellent protection against zero-day attacks, which are vulnerabilities that have yet to be discovered. 

When combining Application Control software with Employee Security Awareness Training and other effective cybersecurity measures, you'll substantially reduce your risk of a ransomware attack.

 

Learn More About the Benefits of Secure Managed Services

Don't let your company become the next ransomware victim. Make your computer networks secure by default by adding layered Application Control ransomware protection with Secure Managed Services from Centre Technologies. Contact us to learn more.