Ransomware is rapidly becoming the most pervasive cyber threat in the world today. It’s affected large companies like Arizona Beverages and FedEx to government institutions like police departments and schools across the US.
Although many of these organizations are large is size and scope, you don’t have to be a multinational bank or the National Health Service to become a victim of ransomware and other types of malware.
As a matter of fact, small and medium-sized businesses are just as likely, if not more, to be attacked by ransomware because in many cases they’re more vulnerable and less likely to recover from a cyber security crisis.
What is ransomware? Ransomware is a computer program or virus that encrypts and freezes your data files unless you pay the perpetrator a fee. These are some things to consider when navigating a business in today’s world. There are the dangers everyone faces.
You’re never too small to get hacked!
About 70 percent of ransomware attacks in 2018 target small businesses, according to a March report from Beazley Breach Response Services.
Ransomware finds its way into your system by exploiting flaws in your security perimeter, but, more likely, it gets downloaded by an unsuspecting user through an ostensibly harmless email or file. It can infect not only the machine that opened the corrupted file, but all the programs it shares throughout the network, spreading like a dangerous contagion, encrypting all the files on that network. If the initially infected machine has access to back-up files, it’ll encrypt them as well.
It’s easy to assume big businesses would be the main targets of something like this, but cyber criminals go after small, lower risk payments instead of one large payment. Smaller attacks are likelier to keep them under the radar. It’s also important to know that one cybercriminal alone can target thousands of businesses with little to no difficulty. They use social engineering to manufacture a huge email list and infect countless links and files before sending them off to as many people as possible. All it would take is one staff member or employee in the office to click on a single link. Some businesses may avoid this kind of attack but it’s a numbers game. All it takes is patience and eventually a cyber-hacker will get what they want.
Paying Won’t be Easy
So what if you pay the ransom? That’s always an option. You can pay, get your files back and move on. Well, not exactly.
Hackers and cybercriminals don’t use traditional bank accounts when conducting “business”. They’ll want to be paid in Bitcoin to an anonymous account on the Dark Web. It’s untraceable and easy to manage for even the most novice of hackers. Adding insult to injury, you’ll have to spend time you may not have trying to get your hands on crypto currency you need to make payments to someone that’s extorting you. Even if you go through this strenuous process and pay the hacker their fee, it’s not a guarantee you’ll get your data back.
Hacking is a reality that cannot be avoided
Most businesses and even government institutions haven’t taken cyber security as seriously as they should. 43% of all cyber-attacks are aimed at small businesses, according to cyber defense magazine. Small businesses have minimal security and are therefore easier to breach.
In South Florida, it’s reasonable to assume you’ll experience a hurricane at some point. The environment in which you’re in often produces conditions favorable to those types of storms. In today’s world, with ever increasing reliance on technology and computer software in almost every industry, there will always be those looking to exploit vulnerability for profit. If you want to mitigate risks and continue to operate and grow your business, you’ll need to assume that getting hacked is inevitable. Prepare for the worst and you’ll have nothing to fear.
A Nerds Support partner, for example, has all of their files backed-up daily and monitored by our team of experienced engineers and IT professionals at all times. If there’s a questionable email, we can analyze it to ensure it’s safe and legitimate. Nerds Support has can help its partners establish a continuity plan in the case of an attack and snuff out potential risks before they become large vulnerabilities in your system.
A cloud based-infrastructure offers a level of security that is cost efficient and practical for any business. Contact us Today to Start Securing Your Business!
