Ransomware is a malicious software that encrypts user data and demands a ransom for decryption. The frequency of such attacks has been increasing in recent years, causing significant losses for both individuals and businesses. Many organizations rely solely on traditional backup methods to protect their data, but these backups can also be compromised or encrypted in the event of a ransomware attack, making data recovery impossible.
Last year, there was a large-scale ransomware attack where thousands of NAS devices from various brands were targeted by ransomware called DeadBolt. The attack involved tricking users through a disguised NAS login page to obtain administrator passwords, after which the files were encrypted and held for ransom, with each file's extension changed to "deadbolt."
NAS devices are used for storing critical data and backups. Once infected, the only options are either paying the ransom to retrieve the files or losing all the valuable data stored in the device. In today's digital age, data protection has become paramount. To address this threat, data storage devices need to provide robust data protection capabilities to ensure data integrity and recoverability.
TerraMaster is a company specializing in network storage solutions, with a strong focus on data security and providing robust protection features to users. Among these features, Snapshot and TFSS are key functionalities offered by TerraMaster, designed to prevent data loss and address threats such as ransomware.
To combat the threat of ransomware, the widely adopted technology known as Snapshot is utilized. Snapshot is a data copy created by the file system or storage device at a specific point in time. Unlike traditional backups, snapshots are almost instantaneously created, capturing the complete state of the data at that particular moment. This technology enables users to easily roll back to the snapshot's creation point, recovering an unaffected version of their data.
TerraMaster Snapshot is a disaster recovery tool developed based on the BTRFS file system. It captures snapshots of shared folders or iSCSI LUNs and leverages file system capabilities to facilitate rapid data recovery in the event of a disaster. In their latest operating system, TOS 5, Snapshot has been redesigned, introducing additional features and enhancing the user experience.
Enhanced Snapshot Performance:
TerraMaster Snapshot leverages Copy-on-Write (COW) technology, enabling almost instantaneous snapshot creation with minimal space utilization during the initial creation. This greatly improves space and time efficiency. Additionally, it supports up to 1,024 snapshots per shared folder and a maximum of 65,536 snapshots for the entire system.
Efficient Snapshot Rollback:
Snapshot files reside in the same storage space as subvolumes, allowing users to browse them just like regular directories. Users can restore file copies to the state captured by the snapshot, facilitating efficient rollback.
Remote Incremental Backup:
TerraMaster Snapshot allows users to send snapshot copies as incremental backups to external hard drives or remote storage systems via SSH.
TerraMaster Snapshot provides powerful data protection and recovery capabilities for NAS devices. However, by combining it with TFSS, an additional layer of security can be added, further enhancing data safety.
What is TFSS?
TFSS (TerraMaster File System Snapshot) is a disaster recovery tool developed based on the BTRFS file system. By taking advantage of the characteristics of the file system to take a snapshot of the entire file system of the TNAS device, it can avoid data loss due to wrong operations or ransomware attacks.
Advantages of TFSS:
- Entire file system protection
Once TFSS is enabled, it automatically takes snapshots of all volumes on the TerraMaster NAS using the BTRFS file system. This allows for quick restoration of a damaged file system back to its normal state. This feature is particularly useful in the event of a ransomware attack or other file system issues.
- Efficient data restoration
Snapshot files are stored as read-only files in a hidden system directory, making their contents unalterable once created. In the event of a disaster or ransomware attack, users can easily browse through the historical versions of file system snapshots using TFSS's intuitive graphical interface. This enables them to recover data to its state before the disaster occurred.
By providing features such as snapshots and TFSS, TerraMaster emphasizes data security and offers robust data protection capabilities. These functionalities help users avoid data loss and mitigate the risks posed by ransomware and other threats, ensuring that their data remains reliable and recoverable. Choosing TerraMaster products would be a wise decision for individuals and businesses seeking reliable data storage and protection.
Recommended TerraMaster NAS Models:
Depending on specific needs, you can choose different models from TerraMaster product lineup. Currently, the TerraMaster 223 and 423 series are suitable storage solutions for personal, home and business users. For example, the F2-223、F4-423 and T6-423 offer powerful hardware performance, rich features, and support for both snapshot and TFSS functionalities. They provide regular data backups and recovery, ensuring your data is protected from threats such as ransomware.
Snapshot：https://forum.terra-master.com/en/viewtopic.php?f=87&t=3219
TFSS: https://www.terra-master.com/global/tfss
F2-223：https://www.terra-master.com/global/products/homesoho-nas/f2-223.html
F4-423: https://www.terra-master.com/global/products/smallmedium-businesses-nas/f4-423.html
T6-423: https://www.terra-master.com/global/products/smallmedium-businesses-nas/t6-423.html