What is ransomware?
Ransomware is a software designed to block users from accessing their computer, most times by using encryption until a ransom is paid. Of course, victims can opt out of paying cyber-attackers any sum of money. Attackers may then delete data from the infected computers and cause other havoc that will result in a costly damage-control bill.
Who does ransomware affect?
- FedEx chalked up a 300 million dollar loss in 2017 to a computer virus that was inflicted by NotPetya.
- Merck lost 300 million dollars in the third quarter of their fiscal year of 2017, also due to attacks by NotPetya.
- A worldwide cyberattack, organized by ransomware WannaCry, infected companies in nearly 100 countries. The attack also targeted the National Health Service of the UK. In this case, the virus jeopardized the wellbeing of hundreds of patients.
So, is this a concern for small businesses?
The short answer to this question is that we aren't sure to what extent ransomware will affect small businesses. It's natural to assume that cyber terrorists will focus on large corporations because they have more money and more sensitive computer data.
However, despite the lack of news coverage, a survey conducted by Malwarebytes (a malware protection software) found that one-third of small businesses were victims of ransomware attacks in 2016. Therefore, we can also assume that the rise of ransomware inevitably puts businesses of all sizes at risk.
Ransomware is significantly more detrimental when the focus is on a small business. In fact, the same study that Malwarebytes performed in 2016 also reported that 22% of small businesses impacted by ransomware had to cease operations.
How to Protect Your Business Against Ransomware
Jordan, our Linux System Administrator, always warns clients, "You wouldn’t believe the number of clients who have been hacked because they thought they recognized the “From:” address in a spam mail."
Believe it or not, many ransomware cases involving small businesses in the United States were initiated the oldfashioned way - via email. In fact, malicious email links were responsible for 37% of the cases! Thankfully, cyber security is always at the forefront of our team's mind.
But, preventative care goes beyond staying away from spam mail. A few other actions you can take to ensure your computer doesn't fall victim to cyber terrorists include:
- Host your email and domain on a secure server. For example, you might consider hosting your email and domain through a reliable company like Old City Web Services.
- Spread general "cybersecurity" awareness throughout your team and let your employees know the devastating effect that opening junk mail can have.
- Backup, backup, backup! It is so important that businesses backup their data and do so often. In the event that you are attacked, this will prevent you from PAYING ransom. If you're hacked and don't have a backup, how will you access your important files and data?
- Blacklisting and whitelisting. A blacklist is a list of domains and email addresses that you do not want to receive emails from. A whitelist is a list of domains and email addresses that you preapprove receiving messages from.
Mission Statement
Our mission at Old City Web Services is to navigate the world of web design, web development, and advertising for our clients so that they can focus on what they do best – running their business! Our business intentions go beyond the metrics of graphics, coding, and SEO. Located on Florida’s First Coast, we run a personable home front service and consider our relationship with our clients as a partnership in their success. If you are looking to increase your business’ visibility give us a call at 904-867-4112 or contact us today.
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