Namibian businesses exposed
Ransomware threats on the rise
Several Namibian companies have been targeted by ransomware that encrypts your data and prevents your access to any of it.According to Johan van Rooyen of Green Enterprise Solutions, the criminals encrypt your data when you open an infected email attachment. “It is not an attack. You open a file, either a PDF or Word document, and then they are in,” he says.
He warns that it is almost always a well-written email that demands your attention. According to one email, “I have made the payment already. Find attached proof of payment and don’t contact me again”.
Van Rooyen says it is a mail that will always be opened to make sure you can save face with a client.
Once these criminals take hold of your data, you will receive a ransom asking for money in return for the encryption key. “We warn our clients never to make payments because you are never certain that you will get your data back.”
Payments are always requested in some form of cryptocurrency that can’t be traced.
According to Van Rooyen, it is not uncommon to be targeted in a country like Namibia. “Whether you are in a first world country or a third world country, if you are on the internet, you are part of a global network. You can be targeted as easily as any other country and we have to be vigilant.”
He warns that if you have an infected computer and it does encrypt data, it is not only on that machine but on the whole connected network. The problem is, that if your backups are connected, this can also be encrypted.
The good news is that businesses can keep themselves protected. “Backups, for instance, should not be connected to a network at all. It should be disconnected and off-site,” he advises.
He suggests that businesses invest in a proper anti-virus programme and that equipment is updated often.