How to Protect QuickBooks from Ransomware Attacks?

Financial records are the most important information that every business tries to protect. Accountants and financial services companies have to take even more precautions with such data as a loss of trust could ruin their career or business. One of the most common methods of sabotaging digitally stored financial information is through ransomware attacks. These cripple files and software solutions beyond repair, often with the intent to hold organizations hostage. In this article, let us understand how to protect QuickBooks from ransomware attacks.

How Can Ransomware Affect QuickBooks?

As one of the most popular accounting solutions, QuickBooks has been subjected to several different types of attacks over the years.

Here’s how QuickBooks can be affected by ransomware.

• Email IDs are compromised, and deep fake technology is used to steal QuickBooks data.
• QuickBooks invoices are impersonated in phishing campaigns that target users with access to financial data.
• User’s networks are scanned for QuickBooks Point of Sales (POS) and credit card details.
• Excel attachments that work with QuickBooks are injected with malicious code to corrupt the software.
• File extensions are changed or encrypted preventing authorized users from accessing their financial data in QuickBooks.

While these are some ways in which ransomware can be used to attack QuickBooks, the list is certainly not exhaustive. Hackers are using increasingly sophisticated methods to compromise QuickBooks users.

How to Prevent Ransomware Attack on QuickBooks?

The right knowledge about how ransomware can be used to exploit vulnerabilities is the first step to protect your business against such cyber-attacks. Here’s what you can do to prevent ransomware attacks on QuickBooks.

• Carry out a risk assessment by performing penetration tests and other drills to re-evaluate your security posture.
• Use reliable anti-virus software and set up firewalls to prevent unauthorized access to your network and infrastructure.
• Lay down the best practices for employees while working with QuickBooks and content on the internet in general.
• Disable macros wherever possible and open files in the view-only mode as much as possible.
• Restrict access to non-essential sites and applications on systems used to access QuickBooks.
• Ensure that you have backed up your data, preferably in an out of band location.
• Avoid mapping drives unnecessarily to mitigate the spread of the ransomware.

While these steps can help you protect QuickBooks Desktop from ransomware if it is self-hosted, there is a better alternative.

QuickBooks Hosting for Ransomware Protection

Hosting QuickBooks on the cloud offers better protection against ransomware attacks. Here are some ways in which that can be achieved.

• You can host QuickBooks on private servers for protecting data.
• Advanced access control methods such as multi-factor authentication can be implemented to prevent unauthorized use.
• Even if an attack was successful, redundant computational, networking and storage capabilities ensure a faster recovery.
• Additional backups are available, and the process is entirely automated even if you have not set up Intuit Data Protect.
• There is round-the-clock monitoring to identify suspicious activities that typically cannot be done with self-hosting.
• Security patches are automatically updated for supported QuickBooks versions on cloud desktops.

Apps4Rent Can Provide Extra Protection with Hosted QuickBooks

The recent ransomware attack on a QuickBooks cloud hosting company has been a cause of worry for some users and understandably so. It is one of the many reasons why you should consider the services of an Intuit Authorized Hosting Provider, such as Apps4Rent for QuickBooks hosting. We provide 99.9% uptime on our top tier SSAE certified data centers for providing QuickBooks hosting services. We can also host QuickBooks and other software on Azure Virtual Desktops to leverage Microsoft’s world-class security features. Contact our QuickBooks hosting consultants available 24/7 via phone, chat, and email for plans and assistance.