Ransomware Continues to Plague Businesses

This week a large international manufacturer of aluminum was hit with ransomware.  The company employs over 35,000 people worldwide according to their website, and employs a dedicated IT staff, had a business continuity plan, and a disaster recovery plan.  After being hit with the ransomware, the company had to decrease operations significantly for safety reasons.  Now, after several days, they are back up to 50% productions and their losses are still mounting.

The breach allowed the hackers to take their time to study the IT structure, encrypt backups, and encrypt all of their files.

Even with a large IT staff, cyber security budget, and a business continuity plan the company was stymied by the attack.  Use this as an example to:

• Educate your employees as to phishing attempts
• Teach others to spot suspicious activity
• Update your malware and virus software, and
• Implement multifactor authentication not only for emails services, but for RDP and active directory as well.

For questions on cyber law, contact our Sioux Falls, Sioux City, or Omaha office today.