Don’t become a victim of a ransomware virus

We’ve heard of a concerning increase in the number of cyber-attacks, particularly ransomware virus attacks, on businesses recently.

The most common method of cyber-attack is distributing viruses via email that ask you to visit a link or open an attachment. If the link is selected or attachment opened the result could be catastrophic.

The most common virus at the moment is called Ransomware. The ransomware virus encrypts every data file it can find in a system. The data can no longer be accessed. To have it decrypted a ransom has to be paid to the criminals.

It’s not just large businesses that are being targeted by ransomware viruses. We are aware of several small businesses that have been hit with a ransomware virus lately. It took six days for one local small business to recover from a ransomware virus attack.

To avoid becoming a victim of a ransomware virus our advice is as follows:

• Educate your staff about the risks.
• Think twice before opening an email attachment or clicking on a link to a website.
• If you’re unsure contact the sender to check that they intended to send it to you.
• Delete the email if you’re not certain it’s legitimate.
• Inform your IT support team immediately.

NOTE: Do not forward the email to anyone, including your IT support team – delete it.

Additionally, for added security protection we advise that you have a secure password. A strong password is at least 8 characters and contains characters from each of the following categories – uppercase letters, lowercase letters, numbers and special symbols (e.g. £).

Cyber security is a growing concern for businesses. It’s important to take as many precautions as you can to prevent your business being affected by a security attack.

If you’d like to find out what security protection measures are available please contact us.