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ACCA Applied Knowledge · Business and Technology · The impact of advances in technology

A retailer's files are suddenly encrypted by malicious software, and a message demands payment in cryptocurrency before the data is released. Which control would MOST directly reduce the business impact of this attack without paying the demand?

Regular, tested offline backups are the most direct way to limit ransomware damage. They let the retailer restore its files from a clean copy rather than paying the criminals. Stronger passwords, more bandwidth or a policy may help prevention generally but do not recover encrypted data.

  1. ARegular offline backups that are tested for restorationCorrect
  2. BRequiring longer passwords for all staff
  3. CInstalling a larger-capacity internet connection
  4. DPublishing an acceptable use policy on the intranet

Explanation

Ransomware denies access to data, so the key mitigation is being able to restore it from clean backups kept offline and tested. Longer passwords help prevent unauthorised logins but do not recover encrypted files. Greater bandwidth and a policy document do not restore data.

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