Held to ransom – Ransomware

From AI-powered hacking to tampering with voting systems, there are some big risks on our radar screen in 2018.

We can all agree that Ransomware is one of the biggest and most destructive threats your IT infrastructure has faced in recent years. Currently, there are well over 120 separate ransomware families, and there’s been a 3,500% increase in cyber-criminal activity since 2016. Ransomware is another type of malware that is designed to take your computer hostage.

As the name Ransomware implies, the intruder takes control of your computer or files in exchange for money or other act of extortion. The purpose of the act is to force you to comply with the acts of the intruder in exchange for regaining control of your files and PC in their original condition. For cyber criminals to gain access to the system, they need to download a type of malicious software onto a device within the network. This is often done by getting a victim to click on a link or download it by mistake.

Once the software is on a victim’s computer the hackers can launch an attack that locks all files it can find within a network. This tends to be a gradual process with files being encrypted one after another.

 3 top tips for keeping safe:

  • Learn to spot suspicious emails and check legitimacy. (We can offer a training programme for your staff in Cyber Security).
  • Keep operating software, applications and plugins up to date, and use reliable cloud-based anti-malware, web filtering, and firewalls.
  • Ensure you run regular backups and maintain up-to-date business continuity measures.

If you’d like to talk to us further about how we can support your organisation to keep safe online, please get in touch.

Source: spamlaws.com   techadvisory.org   telegraph.co.uk