The Backup Wrap-Up

We've talked a bit on this podcast about ransomware groups targeting Windows-based backup servers, and Veeam specifically. There's a new product on the market targeted at this problem, and it's called Blocky for Veeam from Grau Data. Today we have the founder & CEO of Grau Data, Herbert Grau, and their head of North American operations, David Cerf. What we didn't know until recording this episode is that these are the same people that used to make the gigantic Grau tape libraries that is used covet back in the 90s! They got out of the hardware business and have been making software ever since. Blocky for Veeam is a new application of another battle-tested product. Fascinating story, and one that will have other applications in the future.

LastPass made some serious blunders: how they responded to the hack in August, code they created before August, and how they configured their backup system. All of that came to a head at the end of 2023 when the hackers from August used stolen credentials to download a backed up copy of customer information. Most of it was encrypted, but they still gained a lot of information. Many are calling for customers to leave the product. However, even if you're not a lastpass customer, there are lessons to be learned here. Learn those lessons and don't be like LastPass.

Today (Jan 23) marks 30 years to the day that W. Curtis Preston joined the backup industry. Fresh out of the US Navy and wanting to make a name for himself, he joined MBNA, a 35-billion dollar credit card company as "the backup guy." Within seven years he would write the industry's first book dedicated to backup, and since that time, he's gone on to be the world's leading expert in backup and recovery. What were backups like in 1993? How have things changed over the years? And how did he apapt to all of those changes? Prasanna takes the lead as host for this episode, asking Curtis a number of very insightful questions. Be sure to join us for this very special episode.

The latest in our Backup to Basics series is about making sure hackers don't delete, encrypt, or exfiltrate your backups as part of a ransomware attack. (Our Backup to Basics series reviews topics from Curtis' latest book Modern Data Protection, which you can download at druva.com/e-book.) We talk about how and why hackers are specifically targeting your backup system to either disable it or use it as a source for exfiltration. Then we talk about a number of things you can do to defend your backup system against these attacks. This is our most important episode in a while.

Hear the incredible story of Albert Uy, who was handed a two-year project that had already wasted 18 months. They told him he had four months to complete it. He looked at that timeline and told them there was only one way he could do, by switching horses in mid-stream. Not only did they finish it in time; they finished it early. Albert has also managed backup teams for many years, so before we cover this project story, we talk about backup has progressed over the years. We also talk about how much easier his job got once he started using Druva has his backup solution.

Nothing but the best for our listeners! Curtis and Prasanna review their favorite episodes from 2022, from the time Curtis had to restore Backup Central to the shocking outage at Rackspace ( which is still ongoing!). This is your chance to catch up on what you missed last year as we prepare for a new year! Here are links to all the episodes discussed. Happy New Year!

Mr. Backup Forced to Restore Backup Central

Restore Test Failed to Bad Documentation

Security expert rips Okta for their response to hack

How to prevent ransomware, slow its spread, and respond if you get it

How to prepare for an emergency (at home and work)

Backup practitioner tells stories from the trenches

Top 5 security mistakes you're making in the cloud

International lawyer discusses e-discovery in US & other countries

Shocking RackSpace Hosted Exchange Ransomware Attack

Tomorrow marks two weeks from when the RackSpace outage started on Dec 2, 2022. They confirmed it was via a ransomware attack and it is not. going. well. We're going to do a deeper dive into this once it is all over, but this is a first-blush look at what is happening and RackSpace's reaction to it. When we recorded this episode, their reaction was not looking good. I'm sad to say it's gotten even worse. Check it out!

Ok, so maybe not the most interesting topic. ;) But we promise you, this episode has a great story that involves Mr. Backup being kidnapped by a client, basically because he had a backup level issue. Learn about full backups, incrementals, cumulative incrementals, differentials, numbered levels, tower of hanoi backups, and why all this matters. It turns out it matters a lot more these days for structured backups than filesystem backups, which have typically gone to an incremental forever setup.

This episode we have Boris Agranovich, who has been a risk manager for decades, and speaks SIX languages (Russian, Ukrainian, Hebrew, Dutch, English, and Spanish). How amazing is that? He started the Global Risk Community, the largest online community for risk managers, and it's doing very well. We talk about the differences between what we do (as IT risk managers) and what he does, where he's managing risk for the entire organization. Fascinating guy with a unique perspective.

Archive is NOT backup, and hopefully this episode will help you understand how/why that is the case. In this continued romp through W. Curtis Preston's Modern Data Protection, we explore the definition of archive, and how different it is from backup. You should have no trouble understanding the difference between the two after listening to this episode. As usual, Mr. Backup fills in the definition with interesting stories of what happens when you confuse backup and archive. Enjoy!