Guide – How to Protect Synology NAS from Ransomware?

Synology NAS, also called Synology Network Attached Storage, is a type of storage device that was created by Synology Inc. As the risk of cyber threats increases, more and more users are concerned about how to protect Synology NAS from ransomware.

Before you start creating Synology ransomware protection, you need to know more about ransomware including the types of it and how it attacks your Synology NAS.

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Types of Ransomware

The following are the main types of ransomware:

1. Locker ransomware: It directly locks you out of the system or desktop, leaving only a window telling you that your files have been encrypted and demanding a ransom such as the WannaCry ransomware.

2. Encryption or cryptographic ransomware: It blocks access to your files by encrypting them and when you pay the ransom, your files will be decrypted. However, many users report that only a small portion of the files are ultimately recovered. This type of ransomware is most likely to affect your NAS or shared storage.

Different Types of Ransomware & How to Protect Your Computer

This post introduces different types of ransomware. Besides, you can know how to prevent ransomware and how to protect your computers in this post.

Read More

How Does Ransomware Attack Your Synology NAS

Here are some common ways attackers use ransomware to infect Synology NAS.

1. Insecure network: If your network is not secure, attackers can easily access your Synology NAS from other connected devices.

2. Weak passwords: Weak passwords make it easier for attackers to access your Synology NAS and infect it with ransomware.

3. Malicious Websites: Avoid visiting suspicious or unknown websites as they may contain ransomware or malicious scripts that may infect your Synology NAS when visited.

4. Phishing: Phishing emails are a common method used by cybercriminals to spread ransomware.

5. Outdated software: Oytdated software can provide an easy entry point for attackers.

How to Protect Synology NAS from Ransomware

How to protect NAS from ransomware? This part provides 6 tips.

Tip 1. Utilize Synology NAS Built-in Protection

Synology provides several built-in measures to protect data stored on NAS from ransomware attacks. Access control is the first step in Synology ransomware protection. There is the built-in antivirus, Antivirus Essential, and a firewall to protect your data.

To prevent unauthorized visitors from accessing data, Synology Secure Login will authenticate the visitor’s identity. Using secure login, there are two ways to log in to the NAS – approved login and hardware security key. You can set up two-factor authentication to secure the login process.

Tip 2. Keep Up to Date

Software updates aren’t just new features. They often patch security holes that ransomware likes to exploit. If you use DSM as a directory server, please be aware of security updates and patches for DSM and suite. You can follow Synology Security Bulletins for the latest vulnerability issues affecting DSM and Synology-published packages.

Besides, make sure your antivirus and antimalware software and signatures are up to date.

Tip 3. Pay Attention to DSM

To protect Synology NAS from ransomware, don’t expose DSM to the Internet unless necessary. If you must open DSM access to the Internet, open only the ports required by the service. Besides, you should be careful of malicious email phishing. Don’t provide your DSM credentials to suspicious email addresses. Monitor your DSM by regularly checking the connection logs in the Log Center.

Tip 4. Use Strong Passwords

To provide better NAS ransomware protection, always use a strong password to log into your NAS. Avoid using passwords that are generic and easy to guess since attackers often use these passwords to gain unauthorized access.

Tip 5: Restrict User Access

Limiting user access can significantly reduce the risk of a ransomware attack. Grant access only to necessary users and review user permissions regularly. Besides, you had better disable any unnecessary services or applications on the NAS.

Tip 6. Back up files on Synology NAS Regularly

How yo protect Synology NAS from ransomware? Back up files on Synology NAS regularly. You should maintain offline encrypted data backups and regularly verify whether the backups can be restored. Make sure your backup plan is properly and follow the 3-2-1 backup rules. Set recovery time objectives and recovery point objectives separately for each platform and conduct regular disaster recovery testing.

What to Do If Your Synology NAS Is Infected by the Ransomware

If your Synology NAS is attacked by ransomware, there are 3 things need to do:

1. Determine which systems are affected and isolate them immediately. Isolate infected devices from the local network.

2. If you are unable to disconnect affected devices from the network, shut them down right now to stop ransomware infections.

3. Perform the ransomware recovery and perform the Synology data recovery.

After recovering the lost data, you had better create multiple backups (to different locations) for the data to reduce the loss risk due to ransomware attacks. It is highly recommended to use MiniTool ShadowMaker to back up the data to the external hard drive.

It is a piece of Windows backup software that allows you to back up files, folders, disks, partitions, and even the operating system to different locations. You can easily restore your backup files using the Restore feature. Besides, this tool also supports moving Windows to another drive.

MiniTool ShadowMaker TrialClick to Download100%Clean & Safe

1: Install and launch MiniTool ShadowMaker, then click Keep Trial.

2: Go to the Backup page and choose the backup source.

3: Click the DESTINATION part and then choose the external hard drive or other device as the destination to save the backup image. Click OK to save changes.

4: After you have confirmed the backup source and destination, then click Back Up Now to start to back up your files.

Bottom Line

This post is mainly talking about how to protect Synology NAS from ransomware, so if you want to avoid ransomware attacks, then you can try the tips mentioned above. I hope that this post will be useful to you.