‘Send us money or we’ll ruin your life’: The real dangers of being held ransom by hackers.
It’s a regularly evening and a small business owner is packing up products to be shipped to their loyal customers the following day.
They visit their website to look up the customer addresses but are met with a confronting situation – a hacker has locked them out of their website and a pop-up message is threatening to delete their entire website and data if they don’t pay a ransom of $20,000 in cryptocurrency to have the website unlocked.
The hacker has also indicated they will leak the customer’s personal information and payment details online if the ransom demand isn’t met.
The owner automatically panics. They have built a solid reputation with their newly established business and need access to their website to maintain it.
They also fear further reputational damage if their customers find out there has been a data breach.
Their gut instinct is to call the police – yet they fear the hacker will find out and leak the information online, potentially destroying their business and livelihood.
But paying $20,000 would ruin them financially, so they make some calls to close family and friends and come up with the funds to pay the ransom.
This time, the business owner is lucky and the hacker unlocks the website after receiving the fee.
But this isn’t always the case.
According to the Australian Cyber Security Centre, individuals and businesses should never pay a ransom to a hacker – there is no guarantee you’ll regain access to your data or that your information won’t be sold or published online, leaving you exposed to be targeted again later.
If you are targeted by a hacker, you’re urged to call the Australian Cyber Security Centre 24/7 hotline on 1300 CYBER1 (1300 292 371).
The above scenario is a bad and very real situation which more Australians are facing every day, as hackers become more sophisticated in their attempt to extort money from unsuspecting internet users and business owners.
In this case, the hacker has most likely used a form of malware, also known as ransomware, to infiltrate their device and gain access to their computer and personal data.
With online security being more important than ever, we’re going to explain exactly what malware is and how you can protect yourself from it.
In a world where cybersecurity risks are constant, malware is one of the most dangerous. Short for ‘malicious software’, malware is generally a type of code or program used by cybercriminals to harm or gain access to computer systems and networks.
Malware is a broad term and includes various types of harmful software such as trojans (deceptive programs), ransomware (holds data hostage), keyloggers (captures keystrokes), viruses/worms (self-replicating infections) and spyware (secretly monitors activities).
Cybercriminals can use this to gain remote access to your website, steal information for identity theft, hold you ransom over images or data, or simply to cause harm to your computer, business or network.
Malware can also allow hackers to remotely control your devices and use connected webcams to record or take photos.
From individuals being held ransom over private images or videos, to major data breaches which affect thousands, hackers have shown it’s necessary to take preventive measures to avoid malware infection.
Malware most commonly gains access to your device by clicking on links in suspicious e-mails, text messages and websites. Ensure you always remain cautious when clicking on links you’re unsure of, and never download files from unknown websites.
Always ensure you use reliable antivirus software which detects and removes malware threats before they cause harm, create strong passwords, and back up your files to either a hard drive or cloud services such as iCloud or Google Drive.
It’s also important to stay informed about the latest malware threats.
The dangers of malware threats are very real and cybercriminals continue to use more sophisticated methods to exploit people and their vulnerabilities.
Ensuring you arm yourself with knowledge of malware (such as this article), and taking steps to ensure your devices are protected with reputable antivirus software, will help protect your online security and let you navigate the internet with confidence and peace of mind.
To find out more about malware and ransomware, and what to do if you’re a victim of an attack, visit Aus Gov’s what is Ransomware?
This article was brought to you in partnership with BankVic, as we aim to help Victorian’s enjoy a safer and more informed online experience.
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