Immutable Snapshot Retention for Ransomware Protection
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing techniques for combating ransomware, such as isolated recovery environments with immutable data vaults, face challenges in ensuring the integrity and retention of snapshots during a ransomware attack, as snapshots can be easily compromised or deleted, hindering effective data recovery.
Innovation Solution
The creation and retention of immutable snapshots are facilitated by replicating a source volume's snapshot to a destination system, where the replica is locked with an immutable retention time, preventing deletion until a tamper-proof timer exceeds the retention time, ensuring snapshots remain intact for recovery purposes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If snapshots are stored in unlocked form on the source volume to allow flexibility and updates, then ease of operation is improved, but reliability deteriorates because snapshots can be easily compromised or deleted during ransomware attacks
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments snapshot storage into two distinct locations: unlocked snapshots on the source volume for operational flexibility, and locked immutable replicas on a remote destination volume for security. This segmentation allows each location to serve its specific purpose without compromising the other.
Solution Approach 2:
A remote destination storage system acts as an intermediary, receiving and storing locked immutable replicas of snapshots. This intermediary protects the original snapshots from ransomware while maintaining access to the source volume for normal operations.
2Reliability
If immutable replicas are locked on the destination volume with retention time to prevent deletion, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases due to tamper-proof timer mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses self-service mechanisms where the storage system automatically enforces retention policies through embedded tamper-proof timers. The system monitors and enforces its own retention requirements without external intervention, reducing the need for complex external monitoring infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the state parameter of snapshot replicas by locking them with immutable retention times on the destination volume. This parameter change transforms the snapshots from modifiable to protected state, enforced by tamper-proof timing mechanisms.
3Reliability
If snapshots are retained indefinitely to ensure recovery capability, then reliability is improved, but loss of time increases due to extended retention periods
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic retention of snapshots with defined time periods. Snapshots are retained for specific durations based on recovery point objectives, then automatically removed. This periodic approach balances recovery capability with resource management.
Solution Approach 2:
The system retains only the necessary portion of snapshots required for recovery, rather than indefinitely. By implementing retention policies that keep snapshots for specific periods, the system avoids excessive retention while maintaining adequate recovery capability.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for creation and retention of immutable snapshots to facilitate ransomware protection are provided. According to one embodiment, multiple use cases for retention of snapshots are supported, including (i) maintaining a locked snapshot on a source volume of a first storage system on which it was originally created for at least an associated immutable retention time; (ii) replicating the locked snapshot to a destination volume of a second storage system and also maintaining the replica of the locked snapshot on the destination volume for at least the associated immutable retention time; and (iii) maintaining an unlocked snapshot on the source volume, replicating the unlocked snapshot to the destination volume, locking the replicated snapshot on the destination volume when it has an associated non-zero immutable retention time, and thereafter maintaining the replica on the destination volume in accordance with the immutable retention time.