Posted: November 19th, 2022

Article: https://www.euronews.com/next/2022/10/31/australia-defence-hack

Recently, in October 2022, it was reported that hackers used a ransomware attack to attack a communications network used by Australian military troops and defense employees. According to authorities, there is currently no evidence that the data set, which includes information maintained by this corporation on behalf of the defense, has been compromised. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, which cited an unnamed source familiar with the investigation, sensitive information such as military members’ dates of birth and enrollment information may have been taken.

I’ve dealt with ransomware before, so I know how it works. One of the most terrible things is being unable to access your resource or data. Ransomware is software that prevents a user or organization from accessing data stored on their computer. By encrypting these files and requesting a ransom payment for the decryption key, cyberattacks make paying the ransom the quickest and least expensive way to regain access to an organization’s files. The attackers will encrypt the victim’s data and include an email address for communication in the file name and extension. Several variations have included other capabilities, such as data stealing, to increase motivation for ransomware victims to pay the ransom. Additionally, there is no assurance that the attackers would provide you with the key to access your data once you have paid the ransom. Ransomware is now the most visible and prominent type of malware. Recent ransomware attacks have severely harmed several businesses, paralyzed city public services, and harmed hospitals’ ability to provide essential services.

A well-executed plan can significantly reduce the cost and impact of a ransomware attack. Every company can reduce its vulnerability to ransomware and its effects by implementing best practices. Some of these strategies include educating all employees and stakeholders on how to manage cyberattacks and the best procedures to ensure that they are regularly protected from any potential attack. Phishing emails are a common method for spreading ransomware. It is essential to educate people on how to recognize and prevent possible ransomware attacks. User education is frequently seen as one of the most crucial defenses a company can employ since many modern cyber-attacks begin with a targeted email that does not even include malware but merely a socially-engineered message that tempts the user to click on a harmful link.

Having data backups set up is, in my opinion, another crucial habit. Paying a ransom is the only option to get back access to the encrypted data while using ransomware. A company may recover from an assault with little to no data loss and without having to pay a ransom thanks to automated, secured data backups. A crucial procedure for preventing data loss and ensuring data recovery in the case of corruption or disk hardware failure is maintaining frequent backups of data. Organizations may recover from ransomware attacks with the assistance of functional backups.