Snapshot immutability is a hot topic in security these days. Snapshots are naturally immutable, because they are Worm (write-once, read-many). But, turns out that that immutability does not protect snapshots from being externally moved or mounted. So, what we need is an add-on immutability for snapshots. Encrypting snapshots with MFA (Multi-factor authentication) can make sure that snapshots are immune to deletion until the date of expiration. This is a feature many storage and backup vendors are adding to their list to immunize data from ransomware software.
Chris Evans, a long-time IT professional and a Field Day delegate writes about this in greater detail in his recently posted blog “Efficient Immutable Snapshots”. He writes,
The risk of ransomware attacks has made snapshot technology one of the primary tools for data recovery. However, not all snapshots are the same. Efficient immutable snapshots are needed to ensure recovery from any point in time, which these days could mean months into the past.
To read the remainder of the blog, check out “Efficient Immutable Snapshots” on Architecting IT.
