The Importance of Data Backup in Businesses

Data is power. He who has the power rules as he wishes, and It's been a long time since the power of the mind outmaneuvered the power of the brawn. Being able to store and protect information is as important as having it, especially critical information that gives power to those who have it. This being the case, the number of attackers who steal data, also known as black hat hackers, has increased.

Cyber attackers targeting businesses aim to steal critical commercial and customer information. Until recently, cyber attackers who infiltrated the corporate network would transfer all the data on the servers to themselves and try to empty the system. But they found a more effective way to do this. It is that preventing the data owner from accessing the data through encryption rather than stealing the data. To put it more clearly, attackers who infiltrate the business network use various ransomware to encrypt the servers and databases that host the critical workloads of the business, making the files inaccessible. The attackers leave a note on the server screen and state that they will decrypt the encrypted files in return for the ransom amount they demand, which is usually cryptocurrency or foreign currency. However, no one can guarantee whether they will keep their word or not. Although it is not possible to decrypt the encrypted system, in rare cases it takes a very long time, which causes disruption of business processes. Well, if you wonder if there is any solution. Yes, there is, and that is restoring from backup. Let’s reimagine the scenario.

You rightfully do not want or cannot afford to pay the high amount of ransom demanded by the attackers.

You may get an outsourced service by experts to decrypt the encrypted files. However, it is almost impossible to recover the files and no one can give you a guarantee.

You will reset the system by giving up all your data, which no business wants.

Or, you will restore the system from the backups you keep regularly and you will survive this cyber-attack with minimal damage and you will experience once again the importance of keeping backups.

Of course, keeping backups is not just to guard against such attacks. At the same time, in case your files are deleted or corrupted in various situations such as software error, hardware failure, or user error, restoring your data will be easy in a few clicks thanks to the backups you have taken.

Nihat Çıtırık & Taner Yılmaz