Protecting SAP HANA systems against ransomware attacks – OS and Infrastructure

Cybersecurity threats seem to be everywhere.  It seems only logical that systems with the largest financial impact would be perfect targets.  This would imply that customers using SAP systems are being attacked and should be expending considerable effort to protect these critical systems.  To that end, I did some internet research into how hackers target these systems and how to protect them.  I realized that I was in over my head very quickly and enlisted the help of a few experts from IBM.  After these conversations, I came to three conclusions.

1. Ransomware is one of the most common forms of attack on SAP systems and certainly has the biggest financial impact. 
2. Hackers use a variety of methods to gain entry and hold data for ransom.
3. Two avenues of protection must be pursued by every customer, one focused on the operating systems and infrastructure and the other focused on SAP data and applications.

I enlisted the help of Stephen Dominguez, WW Lead Consultant for AIX/Linux Security with IBM’s Systems Lab Services, and George Wilson, Security Architect / Security Team Lead with IBM’s Linux Technology Center.  IDG hosted a call sponsored by Bob Friske, IBM Brand Manager at TD Synnex (formerly Tech Data), on which we explored how customers can secure their SAP HANA systems against ransomware attacks with a focus on operating systems and infrastructure.  This webinar is available at https://www.cio.com/resources/form?placement_id=9e3b9689-abfd-4205-8e1e-e94070744ce0&brand_id=256&locale_id=1 .  Though we discussed protection of SAP HANA, the tools and techniques are equally appropriate for other systems of value including non-SAP ERP systems. 

The short 30 minute webinar has a special offer at the end for customers in North America.  We will be posting another webinar in the near future focused on SAP data and applications.

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