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Author Topic: Cyber Attack & Back up  (Read 5743 times)

Peter

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Cyber Attack & Back up
« on: May 14, 2017, 09:50:46 AM »

The latest cyber attack has made me think again about backing up my computer, plus my wife's laptop.
I have an external storage for photos etc; but am a little lax in keeping it up to date, so I'm looking for a system that I can set and forget, with that in mind can you recommend a good inexpensive option please?

Regards,

Peter
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skyeci

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Re: Cyber Attack & Back up
« Reply #1 on: May 14, 2017, 10:03:04 AM »

I use reflect as it free for home use. Good for imaging etc 
https://www.macrium.com/reflectfree

Peter

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Re: Cyber Attack & Back up
« Reply #2 on: May 14, 2017, 10:10:43 AM »

That was quick Sky, thank you I shall look at that one asap.
Thank you

Peter
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broadstairs

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Re: Cyber Attack & Back up
« Reply #3 on: May 14, 2017, 10:22:20 AM »

One point about backing up. Having an automated system is fine but if you keep the back up online you are still at risk from an attack like the current one as some of these kinds of attacks will search round for anything connected on your LAN and trash/encrypt it. So although an automated system keeps everything backed up it is still not safe if kept connected to the LAN. Better to have a manual system which requires your backup device to be connected only when needed. Backing up to the cloud may work but then you trust your data to a third party and their security protocols!

Stuart
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Ronski

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Re: Cyber Attack & Back up
« Reply #4 on: May 14, 2017, 10:32:20 AM »

I use Crash Plan, but I also keep some hard drives at my brothers which I occasionally back everything up to - not as often as I should as it turns out I last updated them in August 2015!

Data uploaded to Crash Plan is encrypted before being sent, and anything sensitive on my backup drives is also encrypted, I trust my brother but there's always a risk they could get stolen.

To add to what Broadstairs says, if ransom ware encrypted my files, Crash Plan would just see it as a change and upload it to the cloud. Fortunately CP does offer versioning
« Last Edit: May 14, 2017, 10:35:08 AM by Ronski »
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sevenlayermuddle

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Re: Cyber Attack & Back up
« Reply #5 on: May 14, 2017, 11:00:25 AM »

My own strategy is a cron job on the server which takes snapshots of the other systems every night.  File sharing Permissions are set such that whilst the server can read (not write) the other systems, the actal Snapshots are kept on server partitions that are not shared at all.   This allow a fully automated system, yet should prevent malware on the server from wrecking other systems, and prevent ransomware on other systems from destroying the backups.

My system then maintains one complete snapshot for each of the past 7 days, one a month for each of the past year, and one a year for ever.

But malware is not the only risk, there is also the possibilities of fire, or theft (burglars) removing my data.  Once in a while therefor, and always before the house is empty during a holiday, I burn it all to Blu Ray disks, that travel with me in hand luggage.   Ronski's strategy of cloud storage would overcome that too.

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Chrysalis

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Re: Cyber Attack & Back up
« Reply #6 on: May 14, 2017, 06:07:13 PM »

I recommend macrium. Not the most feature heavy out there, but its light weight and reliable, and reliable is key for backups.

I do plan to start using cloud space for backups, not decided yet how much space and how to automate the process, but its in my plans.
« Last Edit: May 14, 2017, 06:13:24 PM by Chrysalis »
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sevenlayermuddle

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Re: Cyber Attack & Back up
« Reply #7 on: May 14, 2017, 07:07:49 PM »

One thing I'd strongly advise against is any back up software that uses a proprietary archive format.  Stick with zips, cpio, or tar, etc.

Anything that is proprietary carries a risk that one day you will wish to recover something from years ago, you have it archived away in cloud or even an old optical disk but you can't do anything with it, as the recovery software is no longer available for any OS then available to you.
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c6em

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Re: Cyber Attack & Back up
« Reply #8 on: May 14, 2017, 07:32:55 PM »

My system then maintains one complete snapshot for each of the past 7 days, one a month for each of the past year, and one a year for ever.

.....and do remember that one a year for ever.
I quite often work on files not used for years and then not look at them for further years.
I've intentionally changed a excel spreadsheet, and then some long time later went back to it only to realise that I never kept a copy of how it originally was.
By then of course the modified version had been written into the various backups.  So I found it on of my annual total backup on several DVD's from a few years earlier.
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sevenlayermuddle

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Re: Cyber Attack & Back up
« Reply #9 on: May 14, 2017, 10:32:21 PM »

If using optical disks it is worth burning two copies of same .iso.  Reason being, if bit rot sets in, there is free software available that will reconstruct by combining best bits from both disks.   

I recently decided to whittle down my huge pile of random backups, comprised of a stack of CDs, DVDs and Blu Rays spanning back nearly 20 years.   Two copies of each, one kept in the garage, one indoors, probably about 100-150 disks in total, now reduced to one mached pair for each year as endorsed by c6em.

But I also took the opportunity to read-check each disk, before deciding between keeping it and shredding it.   Every single disk was error-free, even the early CDs from the last century.   :)
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tickmike

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Re: Cyber Attack & Back up
« Reply #10 on: May 15, 2017, 02:36:18 PM »

I use LuckyBackUp  http://luckybackup.sourceforge.net/
I set mine up to do regular back up's (that's as long as my backup server is running as it's not a good idea to leave it connected to your LAN all the time !).
It backs my daughter's laptop from 250 miles away to our home.  ;D
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Peter

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Re: Cyber Attack & Back up
« Reply #11 on: May 15, 2017, 04:00:26 PM »

Thank you everyone, you've given me much to consider, I am grateful.

Regards,
Peter
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