Prevent Ransomware Threats with the 3-2-1 BACKUP Rule! Backing Up Data!
Today, we’re going to talk all about something super important but not always the most exciting: backing up your data. Yeah, I know, it might not sound like the most thrilling topic, but trust me—it's crucial! Plus, since it’s *Cybersecurity Awareness Month*, I wanted to share a video on security and privacy with y’all. So grab your pumpkin spice Frappuccino (I’ve got mine!) and let’s dive in!
In honor of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, I’ve teamed up with *CrashPlan for Small Business* to bring you this series of videos focused on security and privacy. If you’ve seen any of my *ThreatWire* episodes on [youtube.com/hak5](https://youtube.com/hak5), you know ransomware has been a huge issue in 2019. Ransomware is where an attacker holds your data hostage until you pay up, and you can’t access anything until you do. If you’re a small business, protecting your data has to be a top priority. I mean, for me, I have to protect my video files, photography, editing templates—all that data is essential to my job of making videos for you!
Luckily, *CrashPlan* offers peace of mind with tons of features built into their cloud-based data protection service. You can store data with no file size restrictions and no extra charges for space. Got a network-attached storage device or an external hard drive? Those are covered too! Backups are continuous with customized file retention options to fit your needs, and CrashPlan uses 256-bit AES data encryption at rest. Plus, they support HIPAA compliance, so you're covered if you're in healthcare. Whether you're on Windows, Mac, or Linux, CrashPlan has you covered. Plans are just $10 monthly per device, whether you’re backing up 100GB or a terabyte. Oh, and you can cancel anytime! Sign up using the link below for a one-month free trial. **Don’t let ransomware hold you hostage—have a plan with CrashPlan!** Big thanks to CrashPlan for supporting my video and Cybersecurity Awareness Month!
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Now, let's talk about why it's so important to back up your data. I have a horror story from high school to share. My mom got me my first digital camera, which I was OBSESSED with—it was like 480p, so yeah, the quality was terrible. I took it to school one week and then on a camping trip, snapping tons of pictures. But when I got home, I realized something horrible: the memory card got corrupted! I’m guessing the campfire smoke messed it up, and I lost not only my camping trip photos but all the pictures from that week at school. And this was my *senior year* of high school! I never backed up any of those photos, and to this day, I’m still so mad at myself. Oh, and my mom wasn’t exactly thrilled either, since it was her camera…oops!
That high school nightmare is why I want to give you some backup tips. My backup strategy started pretty basic—just backing up photos from my digital camera to my local computer. But, spoiler alert, that’s not really a backup. It's just one copy of your files in one place, and that’s a problem! Things changed when I moved to San Francisco (hello, earthquake country). I realized I needed a more comprehensive plan, and now I’m religious about the 3-2-1 backup rule.
**What’s the 3-2-1 backup rule?** It’s simple:
- **3** copies of your data
- **2** local copies (like your computer and a network-attached storage device)
- **1** off-site backup (like a cloud service)
Let’s use this video file as an example. After I edit and upload it to YouTube, I’ll have it on my local computer, a backup on my NAS (network-attached storage), and a cloud backup. The two local copies are crucial because if something happens to your laptop—like spilling your Frappuccino on it (yikes)—you still have an immediate backup. The cloud backup is there for those worst-case scenarios like natural disasters, theft, or malware attacks.
So, why not just use cloud backups and forget about local ones? While cloud backups are awesome, it can take time to restore everything if your internet speeds are slow or you have a data cap. Having local backups gives you quick access to your data when you need it.
And speaking of worst-case scenarios—if ransomware hits your network, it could infect both your local computer and your NAS, since they’re on the same network. That’s where having an off-site, cloud backup becomes a lifesaver! Even if malware wipes out your entire local network, your data is still safe in the cloud.
I’m personally not a fan of paying ransoms to attackers, so I rely on my backups to avoid that. Everything is digital these days—whether it’s photos, tax documents, or important work files—so we need to protect that data.
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If you’ve got any questions about backing up your data, or if you want more details on how I handle my backups, drop a comment below! I’m a huge advocate for data backups—I’ve heard so many horror stories from people who wished they had listened to me sooner.
**Don’t forget to like and subscribe** if you enjoy this kind of content, and let me know what steps you’re taking for Cybersecurity Awareness Month! Also, my 30-Day Security Challenge is still available—I'll link that below as well. Thanks again to CrashPlan for supporting this video, and thank you, S'mores, for watching! I'm Shannon Morse, and I'll see you in the next one. Bye!
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