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The Immutability of Snapshots

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.

Image: Sulagna Saha (c) Gestalt IT

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.

About the author

Sulagna Saha

Sulagna Saha is a writer at Gestalt IT where she covers all the latest in enterprise IT. She has written widely on miscellaneous topics. On gestaltit.com she writes about the hottest technologies in Cloud, AI, Security and sundry.

A writer by day and reader by night, Sulagna can be found busy with a book or browsing through a bookstore in her free time. She also likes cooking fancy things on leisurely weekends. Traveling and movies are other things high on her list of passions. Sulagna works out of the Gestalt IT office in Hudson, Ohio.