TruCommunity Blog

October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month and one cybersecurity risk to protect your business from is ransomware. Ransomware is malicious software that blocks access to a computer system or encrypts files until a ransom payment is made. While no single step can eliminate every risk, a practical, multi-layer approach can make your business harder to target and easier to recover if something goes wrong.

TruBank provides these five simple safeguards to reduce your risk of falling for ransomware:

1. Train Your Employees 

Implement phishing awareness training into your regular employee training. Educate employees to pause before opening links, attachments or payment requests that seem unusual. A quick second look at the sender, wording and requested action can prevent a costly mistake. Regular reminders and short refresher trainings help keep safe habits top of mind.

2. Protect Payments and Cash Flow

Cybersecurity is not only about files and devices, but it is also about protecting the money moving in and out of your accounts. Various business banking solutions can help add controls around payments, deposits and account activity.

• ACH: Manage electronic payments using ACH services as it provides better timing, records and control.
• Remote deposit: If processing a lot of customer checks, consider adding a remote deposit capture machine to your operations. This scans and deposits checks directly from your office and reduces the need to transport paper checks.
• Digital banking access: Monitor account activity and act quickly if something looks suspicious by having both mobile and online banking to look at suspicious activity.

3. Manage Privileged Accounts

Limit employee access to the systems and information needed for their specific jobs. Fewer administrator accounts mean fewer opportunities for malware to spread across your network. Review access regularly, especially when employees change roles or leave the business and don’t forget to contact TruBank about these personnel changes too.

4. Use Proactive Endpoint Security Solutions

Keep antivirus, endpoint protection and software updates current on every device used for business. Modern security tools can help detect suspicious activity and stop threats before they damage files.

5. Follow a Data Backup and Recovery Plan

Back up critical files on a regular schedule and store at least one backup separately from your main network. Test recovery steps so you know your business can restore data quickly if needed. A reliable backup plan can reduce downtime, protect customer information and help your business return to normal operations faster.

Ransomware prevention works best when people, technology and financial controls support each other. TruBank is here to help local businesses strengthen payment security and protect day-to-day cash flow. Contact your nearest TruBank branch to ensure you have all our business banking tools to keep your business safe.