Smaller companies may just be a stepping stone to the bigger firms they supply, Wallen explains. “If you think of a large defence contractor, they will be digitally connected to hundreds of suppliers,” he adds. If the hackers can’t get into the large company, they may hack smaller companies that are connected to the bigger one to find a way in. Hackers can also co-ordinate attacks across multiple companies to snake up a supply chain from multiple angles.
Now, however, the notion of “Ransomware as a Service” has emerged. Attackers will lease their software out to affiliates, allowing almost anyone to carry out a ransomware sting. Buyers do not need to be technically skilled or to really know anything about ransomware, but they can borrow the means to do it from one of these groups.
Another issue is that companies are – unsurprisingly – not very happy about telling the world that they have been hacked, a problem compounded for smaller companies who are that much less resilient. It also offers various tips for preventing malware from being downloaded onto devices, which include filters on email accounts and internet security software, and the extra steps to prevent it from being run on devices.
The fact is many businesses buy the IT needed, spend the least possible in upkeep & try to push it past normal working life Good IT & protecting your systems costs money & it requires good practice, training & robust security & backup – the biggest problem is usually the Board!