Ransomware Attacks Are Not Another Person’s Affairs Countermeasures Are Urgently Needed
The recent increase in ransomware (viruses that require ransom) attacks shows that it is important to foster security awareness within the enterprise. Especially now, many people have started working from home without taking appropriate preventive measures due to the epidemic of the new coronavirus, which has created many vulnerabilities and their importance is increasing.
Some of the targeted companies refused to pay the ransom and were able to recover most of the data from backups, but in many other cases, it was a major disruption to the operation of the organization and a large amount of ransom. It leads to the result of paying.
In Europe, crimes taking advantage of the corona vortex have increased, and cyberattacks have doubled in the past year. According to Canadian Independent Record Production Association, 41% of claims against the company in the first quarter of 2021 were related to ransomware. Highly skilled hackers target all industries, from banks and hospitals to national health services and industrial systems, oil pipelines and even slaughterhouses, and often cause widespread confusion.
Concerned that the supply of various things such as energy and food will be easily blocked by cyber attacks, the U.S. government has made it mandatory for companies to report cyber attacks as a countermeasure (companies have often kept the damage confidential. We are also considering the possibility of fines for ransom payments, diplomatic measures against countries that hide cybercriminals, and even military measures.
The US government is considering classifying ransomware into the same acts of terrorism as the 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, taking priority measures, and treating them as a direct threat to national security. It’s no wonder that ransomware attacks threaten fuel and meat supplies in some parts of the country in a short period of time.
Cyber attacks are extremely flexible because they can be prepared in advance and executed at critical moments. While most cyberattacks are part of a lucrative scam, cyberattacks can paralyze the entire country or even use ransomware as a weapon for some purpose. For example, radical environmentalists could use cyberattacks to spoil airlines, oil and livestock farms, and coal-fired power plants as part of their efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
Cyber attacks are relatively easy to carry out, and it is difficult to protect society from them. Various measures are required, such as the adoption of a zero-trust architecture, a radical overhaul of the system, and employee training, which is often the weakest point in security measures. This is a “war” that requires new rules of engagement, and many organizations are completely unprepared.
Within your organization, take cyberattack countermeasures such as training employees, raising security awareness, establishing effective backup procedures, updating all systems appropriately, and hiring cybersecurity experts and consultants. Never think that it will not happen to you.
However, cyber-attacks are neither inevitable nor defeated. Everyone is at equal risk, but in George Orwell’s words, “some of them are more equal than others.” Cyber attacks can damage an organization’s reputation, cost a lot of money, and disrupt the organization’s activities, but above all, it reveals that someone hasn’t taken appropriate action.
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