Christmas is the time when criminal hackers take the opportunity to strike. Lower preparedness and less personnel facilitate the attacks that can take out an entire business.
– It’s a bit like cancer, if you discover it late it can be very harmful, says cyber security expert Marcus Murray.
A single click on a malicious link on your work computer or mobile phone can be enough for hackers to take out an entire company or organization. And it can only happen because a single person has not been alert in front of the screen.
In the event of such a so-called ransomware attack, the hackers gain full access to the entire business. Sensitive data, accounts, files, login details, account numbers. The consequences can be catastrophic.
Can be expensive
In order for the company to get all the systems back, a ransom is required, which can be expensive. And it can also damage trust.
– There are no good statistics in general, but so far this year we have investigated over 170 complex data breaches and we almost only work with large companies. There are an incredible number of more attacks that do not involve us, says Marcus Murray.
If such an attack occurs during Christmas, when workplaces are often less staffed, the damage can be more serious than it would otherwise be.
– It’s a bit like cancer, if you detect it early it may not cause much damage, but if you detect it late it can be very harmful.
He continues:
– If you detect an attack the same day that it comes in, the damage is relatively limited and in most cases there is no financial damage. But if it goes on for more than a day, it can amount to many millions.
The Russians are on holiday – increase in March
But in terms of numbers, December is not the month with the most attacks. From November to February, the number of hacker attacks is instead decreasing.
– But in March, then we see a sharp increase, says Marcus Murray.
What this is due to, he believes, is because many of the criminal hackers are Russians who have their Christmas holiday at the beginning of January.
– A number of years ago we saw that there were more attacks over the holidays, but now that has changed, he says and continues:
– These are established businesses and the criminals work a little more as employees, so they probably want a holiday. This has become a normalized business there.
Marcus Murray’s tips for avoiding ransomware
As an employee of a company, it is important to behave well and with insight. For example, you can think twice about:
1. Downloading programs on the computer
2. When you open an attachment in an email
3. That you are sure that links you click on are real.
However, it is above all important that the company or business has installed the right protection so that an attack can be detected and remedied quickly. If you receive an SMS with malicious links, you can forward this to the short number 7726. It is a new number that Telenor, Telia, Tre and Tele 2 have jointly launched. The police are also part of the collaboration. Since its launch on November 27, over 2,400 reports have been received.
Source: Marcus Murray