Ransomware - Holds Irish Businesses Hostage

Viruses as we once knew them have evolved significantly over the last decade. Initially they were written by programmers to boost their ego as they watched their creation spread across the globe.

In a recent article we took a look at Scareware, an example of Scareware is the Antivirus 2010 program that bullies you into purchasing their fake antivirus programs just so it will stop popping up on your screen.

Recently in Ireland, RTE news reported that cybercriminals are now targeting Irish business with Ransomware and that reported cases were under investigation by the Gardai.

What is Ransomware ?
Ransomware is where cyber criminals remotely connect to your network and install encryption software on your Server or PC without your knowledge.


What is the potential impact to your organisation?
When you try to access your files a Ransom note appears on your screen demanding payment for the unlock code. In most cases the encryption software cannot be unlocked without payment.  Ransomware could leave your business completely disabled if you could not access your accounting or payroll software for example.

Antivirus software does not guarantee that you will be virus free but in the case of Ransomware criminals often connect to your network by either bypassing your firewall and physically login to your system. (A separate Trojan key logger could be recording your passwords and sending those to the criminals without your knowledge).

Criminals often begin their attack months in advance by deselecting the critical data from your backup jobs. When you eventually see the Ransom message you then realize you don’t have a backup.

Organisation size does not matter

Smaller organisations tend to have a “why would they want to hack us” type attitude and often forget to realise that their company data is an extremely valuable asset and needs to be protected.
Organisations, no matter how big or small that have an internet connection should have a suitable firewall in place that is properly configured and installed. Furthermore critical hardware should be proactively monitored (system health, backups, antivirus etc) with alerting to help reduce the risk to your business from attacks and unplanned outages.