Following a spate of high-profile attacks, it is all too easy to consider ransomware as a threat more for large, well-known, businesses. Research, however, suggest this is far from the case. There are plenty of reasons for small or medium businesses (SMBs) to be proactively approaching the issue of ransomware. With some 35% of SMBs hit by a ransomware attack in 2020, at an average cost of $183k this is a trend that shouldn’t be ignored. SMB’s can no longer treat cybersecurity as lesser priority compared to other businesses issues. Pre-emptively securing your businesses, as well as building a plan,…
Author: David Emm
David Emm
David Emm is Principal Security Researcher at Kaspersky, a provider of security and threat management solutions. David joined Kaspersky in 2004. He is a member of the company's Global Research & Analysis Team (GReAT) and has worked in the anti-malware industry since 1990 in a variety of roles, including that of Senior Technology Consultant at Dr Solomon's Software, and Systems Engineer and Product Manager at McAfee. In his current role, David regularly delivers presentations on malware and other IT security threats at exhibitions and events, highlighting what organisations and consumers can do to stay safe online. He also provides comment to broadcast and print media on the ever-changing cyber-security and threat landscape. David has a strong interest in malware, ID theft and the human aspects of security, and is a knowledgeable advisor on all aspects of online security.
The attacks taking place on small and medium enterprises (SME) are becoming more sophisticated, meaning that they cannot be easily prevented by traditional endpoint protection mechanisms. In such cases, timely incident detection is essential to minimise any potential negative impact. However, this challenging task cannot be done without enhanced endpoint visibility, exploring suspicious activities and understanding attack execution processes. SMEs understand that they need to improve their security capabilities and they usually contact sales representatives to enquire about products. However, for an organisation where it’s IT department is responsible for cybersecurity — as is typically the case for SMEs —…
With COVID-19 increasingly being used as a hook to commit fraud, threatening consumers and businesses of all sizes, criminals are continuing to use social engineering methods to spread malware and harvest the personal information of vulnerable individuals. With many people currently concerned about their financial situation and the state of the economy, fear, uncertainty and doubt has created an ideal environment for fraudsters to operate in. As a result of the pandemic, businesses and individuals have been forced to do everything from home, including banking, shopping, socialising and, in most cases, working. However, the risks associated with more people having to…
Baby monitors, CCTV tools and smart home devices like Amazon Alexa and Google Home are all handy additions to today’s modern home. A quarter of Britons now own one or more smart home devices, and by 2023 every home in the UK is expected to contain at least 50 of them. It is therefore becoming increasingly important for consumers to consider the dangers of IoT devices in their homes, as they could be vulnerable to criminals who could be watching or listening and waiting to attack. During the 2018 Christmas period, the biggest spenders in the UK were families with children, and toys accounted for 31% of online…
An unfortunate truth in business is that any worker, in any organisation, can be the target of a cyberattack. There are a wide range of considerations that IT security managers must take into account so that they can identify what makes their organisation vulnerable to highly-sophisticated cybercriminals – including the employees, endpoints across the organization, and any lack of investment in protecting the entire network. Here are the types of threats that could affect an organisation on a daily basis – and how potential cyberattacks can be prevented before disaster strikes. Threats aimed at human error John is a marketing…
While the dust has far from settled in the wake of GDPR enforcement, businesses are learning how to operate in the new landscape – and adapting to how the new legislation has changed their business processes. But amongst the expected denials of service and email inundations that sprang up as the enforcement date arrived, some unexpected consequences of the legislation have also started to rise to the surface. WHOIS going to help the police? One unforeseen consequence relates to the WHOIS protocol, and the role this plays in law enforcement. Police forces internationally have traditionally relied on WHOIS – a…
Risk takers are at the forefront of progress. Imagine if Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin hadn’t set foot on the moon; Richard Branson hadn’t taken a punt in competing with the record industry giants; Felix Baumgartner hadn’t taken a leap of faith and broken the sound barrier. For these entrepreneurs and thrill seekers, being fearless and taking risks is part of daily life and can be lucrative and lifechanging. But taking a risk isn’t just reserved for the business-savvy or adrenaline junkies among us, and small steps can result in big victories. The online realm has dramatically changed the way…
At this time of year, the number of tax scams reaches a high, with fraudsters looking for any chance to cash in on consumers, the self-employed or small businesses who might be excited about potential refunds. Many people now do their taxes online, and cybercriminals are seeing this as a huge opportunity for phishing schemes. Take the recent HMRC email scam which sends fake e-mails asking the recipient to create a “government gateway account” to access information about their tax refunds, and subsequently requests personal banking details. What’s more, recent ONS figures show that online fraud is now the most common crime in the UK, with almost…
By ten children break the rules set by parents to keep them safe online New research by Kaspersky Lab sheds light on the complex digital lives of children, revealing those as young as ten actively attempt to hide their online world and circumnavigate the rules their parents set to govern internet use in the home today. With half of ten year olds (51 per cent) owning a tablet and a third (33 per cent) their own smart phone, a worrying 42 per cent believe they have the skills and knowledge to hide what they’ve been doing online from parents. By…
How much is your data worth to you? For victims of ransomware this is no longer a rhetorical question but painfully real. Ransomware locks or encrypts data on a device and then demands a ransom for the key to release it. It is a comparatively lucrative business for cybercriminals: while the majority of traditional attacks involve seizing data and then finding ways to cash that data in, with ransomware they can earn the money at once. Victims feel the effect of cybercrime very directly. Our security analysts predicted ransomware would grow fast in 2016, and it seems that they were right.…
