TL;DR
Ransomware can indirectly destroy your git remote repositories if they are stored on systems compromised by the attack. However, ransomware doesn’t directly target git repositories themselves. Protecting your remotes means protecting the servers and services that host them – backups, access control, and up-to-date security measures are key.
Understanding the Threat
Ransomware encrypts files on a compromised system, demanding payment for decryption. It doesn’t typically understand or target specific file types like those used by Git (.git directories). The danger comes from:
- Server Compromise: If the server hosting your git remote (e.g., GitLab, GitHub Enterprise, a self-hosted Git server) is infected, the ransomware can encrypt all files on that server, including the repository data.
- Service Disruption: Even if the repository data isn’t directly encrypted, ransomware can disrupt services needed to access the remote (databases, web servers).
Steps to Protect Your Git Remotes
- Regular Backups: This is your most important defense. Regularly back up your git repositories and the entire server environment hosting them.
- Offsite Backups: Store backups in a separate location (cloud storage, another data center) that isn’t connected to your primary network.
- Backup Verification: Regularly test restoring from your backups to ensure they are working correctly.
- Access Control & Least Privilege: Limit who has access to the servers hosting your git remotes.
- Strong Passwords/SSH Keys: Enforce strong passwords and use SSH keys with passphrases for authentication.
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Enable MFA wherever possible, especially for administrative accounts.
- Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Grant users only the permissions they need to perform their tasks. Avoid giving everyone administrator access.
- Keep Software Updated: Regularly update all software on your servers, including:
- Operating System: Apply security patches promptly.
- Git Server Software: Update GitLab, GitHub Enterprise, or other Git server applications to the latest versions.
- Dependencies: Keep databases (PostgreSQL, MySQL) and web servers (Apache, Nginx) up-to-date.
- Network Segmentation: Isolate your git servers from other parts of your network.
- Firewall Rules: Configure firewalls to allow only necessary traffic to and from the git servers.
- VLANs/Subnets: Use VLANs or subnets to separate the git server network from other networks.
- Intrusion Detection & Prevention Systems (IDS/IPS): Implement IDS/IPS to detect and block malicious activity.
- Signature-Based Detection: Use signatures to identify known ransomware patterns.
- Behavioral Analysis: Look for suspicious behavior, such as unusual file access or encryption activity.
- Endpoint Protection: Protect the servers themselves with anti-malware and endpoint detection and response (EDR) solutions.
- Real-Time Scanning: Enable real-time scanning to detect and block malware before it can execute.
- Heuristic Analysis: Use heuristic analysis to identify new or unknown threats.
- Regular Security Audits & Vulnerability Scans: Regularly assess your systems for vulnerabilities.
- Penetration Testing: Conduct penetration tests to simulate real-world attacks and identify weaknesses.
- Vulnerability Scanning Tools: Use vulnerability scanning tools to automatically identify known vulnerabilities in your software.
What if a Server is Compromised?
- Isolation: Immediately isolate the compromised server from the network to prevent further spread of the ransomware.
- Identification: Identify the type of ransomware and its impact.
- Restoration: Restore your repositories from backups. Do not pay the ransom! There is no guarantee that you will get your data back, even if you pay.
- Forensic Analysis: Conduct a forensic analysis to determine how the server was compromised and prevent future attacks.