Ransomware continues to cause huge damage to businesses

Fourlis Group, the operator of IKEA stores in Greece, Cyprus, Romania and Bulgaria, has confirmed that it has been hit by a ransomware attack. The estimated damage caused by this malware attack is $22.8 million.

Fourlis Group was attacked before Black Friday 2024, and in December 2024, the company issued a statement announcing the technical disruption of IKEA online stores due to "malicious external attacks". Fourlis also manages and operates other major brands such as Intersport, Foot Locker, and Holland & Barrett stores, however, the attack mainly targeted IKEA. IKEA is a very famous and popular home and furniture brand worldwide.

In the same situation, technology company Sensata was also attacked by ransomware in early April, encrypting data, causing the company's network and operations to be disrupted. A report sent by Sensata to the US Securities and Exchange Commission said that its shipping, receiving, and production management activities were affected. Sensata Technologies is an industrial technology company that develops, manufactures, and sells a variety of sensors and sensor-rich solutions, as well as electrical protection systems and components. Sensata's annual revenue reaches $4 billion (2023).

Ransomware is no longer a “far away” thing. Ransomware malware has “entered” Vietnam in recent years and is increasingly attacking both individuals and businesses. Many large enterprises have also become victims of ransomware such as PVOIL, Vietnam Post or VnDirect, causing huge losses and most recently, CMC Technology Group has also become a victim of ransomware.

According to statistics, an average of 80 ransomware attacks occur every day in Vietnam. 14.59% of 5,000 organizations and businesses participating in the 2024 survey said they had been attacked by ransomware, according to a report by the National Cyber ​​Security Association. "We recorded 29,282 ransomware attacks targeting Vietnamese businesses in 2024," said Adrian Hia, Managing Director of Asia- Pacific at Kaspersky.

According to Mr. Ngo Tran Vu, Director of NTS Security, user errors are always the key weakness for hackers to exploit to bring ransomware into the corporate network. Therefore, protection with centralized management policies is not enough, employees need to be regularly trained to recognize the harmful risks from the habits of using the corporate network.

“Small-sized businesses such as family businesses and companies with less than 10 employees often do not focus on information security solutions and do not have specialized IT security personnel, making them prime targets for Ransomware,” Mr. Ngo Tran Vu added.

Small businesses and home businesses can apply some of the following methods to prevent ransomware: Use comprehensive protection solutions such as Kaspersky Plus, minimizing the risk of malware, phishing, and exploiting vulnerabilities in software installed on computers (Windows / Mac). Do not use pirated or cracked software. Malware can be embedded in the installation file by hackers. Regularly back up important data into versions, and save data to external hard drives as well as to the "cloud". Regularly scan for malware with security software. Always scan files when downloading from the Internet (email, messaging programs such as Messenger, Telegram, Zalo ...), regularly update the latest patches of Windows, Microsoft Office as well as popular software installed on the device such as WinRAR.

KIM THANH

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/ma-doc-tong-tien-tiep-tuc-gay-thiet-hai-lon-cho-doanh-nghiep-post792052.html