Ransomware is a type of cyber threat that encrypts internal digital data, making it unreadable, and then demands bitcoins in exchange for an unlock key to restore it. In Worst case scenario, ransomware can render all data, including backups, unreadable; which can impact on business continuity significantly.
Indonesia has seen a sharp increase in ransomware attacks since May this year. With its recent attack against BSI, the biggest Islamic bank in Indonesia, ransomware made headlines once more. On Monday, May 8, 2023, an error occurred with the BSI Mobile Banking application and related ATM services. After the bank declined to pay their $20 million ransom demand, the hacker group LockBit claimed credit for the attack and apparently published an enormous amount of customer information.
Ransom malware, often known as ransomware, is a category of malware that prevents users from accessing their personal or system files and requests payment of a ransom in exchange for their release.
The practice of sending emails containing malicious attachments to as many recipients as possible to see who will open the attachment and “take the bait” to gain access.
The use of online advertising to spread malware with little to no user interaction. It frequently drives users to an exploit landing page by using an infected iframe, or invisible webpage element, to carry out its operations. All of this takes place unnoticed by the user, or what is known as a “drive-by download.”
Sending emails to employees of a certain company, with a false request for action, such as downloading a new policy, from the HR department or other highly regarded staff members.
Gathering information from your public social media profiles about your interests, frequent destinations, employment, etc., and utilizing part of that information to send you a message that appears familiar, hoping you’ll click before you realize it’s not legitimate.
Never click on unverified links which you are not sure about the source or the destination of a link. Before clicking anything, you can hover over the link to see where it may take you. For example, checking the link in an email purporting to be an Amazon email may reveal a URL with a name similar to, but not Amazon, which can be assumed to lead to a fake website.
Using security software will help you detect and block ransomware before it infects your computer. Run frequent checks and make sure your security software is up to date. The Controlled Folder Access feature in Windows 10 or 11 can also be used to stop unauthorized programs from accessing your crucial files.
Back up and store your data in a secure location, such as a cloud service. You could still be the target of a sophisticated assault even if you follow the best practices to avoid ransomware. This way, you can retrieve your data without paying the ransom.
The Cloud is one of the most secure ways to store information. When someone happens to steal a computer with a conventional accounting system, that person will have access to all the company’s accounting information. With cloud accounting, only those who have login access to that cloud account can access data that belongs to a company.
If you need more detailed explanations on how to deal with ransomware, please do not hesitate to contact us.
