CloudJumper, a Workspace as a Service (WaaS) platform innovator for agile business IT, today announced the cyber-security advantages of its Workspace as a Service platform against CryptoLocker and other ransomware threats. While an increasing number of ransomware attacks have occurred across traditional on-premises computing infrastructure, CloudJumper nWorkSpace® has supported customer environments against the perpetrators of these crimes. Due in large part because most ransomware requires an executable file to be opened by the victim in order to activate malicious code, nWorkSpace hosted workspace partners and users have avoided attacks through administrative controls and a comprehensive backup-disaster recovery process.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice[ U.S. Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, https://www.hsgac.senate.gov/media/minority-media/dhs-doj-respond-to-carper-inquiries-on-agencies-response-to-threat-of-ransomware], "The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received nearly 7,700 public complaints regarding ransomware since 2005, totaling $57.6 million in damages. Those damages include ransoms paid - generally $200 to $10,000, according to the FBI[ FBI, FBI Warns Public of Cryptowall Ransomware Schemes, https://www.fbi.gov/sandiego/press-releases/2015/fbi-warns-public-of-cryptowall-ransomware-schemes] - as well as costs incurred in dealing with the attack and estimated value of data lost."

A category of computer malware that encrypts its victim's files and demands a ransom in exchange for recovery of the data, ransomware has become a significant concern as affected victims have had to pay the ransom to free (unencrypt) their files. Many organizations face an uphill battle when confronted with the challenges posed by this class of cyber threat because recovery strategies have been controversial (paying the ransom) and results have been mixed (recovery is not guaranteed). Estimated to have been initiated in 2013, CryptoLocker propagates through infected email, encrypts user data, and stores the key on virus control servers until the ransom is paid.

CloudJumper nWorkSpace places the responsibility of installing all applications in the hands of the authorized IT administrator. The identification and selection of these applications is predetermined by the service level agreement (SLA) in place which details all systems in operation (including infrastructure, software, and services) under management as approved by the customer. Users accessing the cloud-based workspace have unprecedented access to every application installed by the administrator from the device of their choice but do not have the ability to install applications directly and must coordinate with the administrator - safeguarding the workspace against such ransomware executables. CloudJumper's administrative controls have prevented even a single ransomware infection; however in the event that somehow an infection is reported, CloudJumper's integrated backup-disaster recovery service can quickly restore a customer's entire environment to its previously unaffected state.

"Security is an often overlooked advantage of nWorkSpace regardless of whether the threat is internal or external. With controlled access to the network, nWorkSpace provides an additional level of protection against what can be a devastating malware attack," said JD Helms, president, CloudJumper. "With no reported ransomware issues to date, the lines of access we have drawn are not only providing new measures of accountability for organizations of every size but reducing the level of risk from malware that has plagued computer users worldwide."