The past year has seen an increase in the number of cyberattacks on our local shores. Notably, ransomware is a prevalent global threat that poses a significant risk to Australian organisations.
The Australian Cyber Security Centre (ACSC) has reported that ransomware incidents are on the rise with recovery being costly, both from a reputational and financial standpoint.
What is ransomware and how common is it?
Ransomware is a form of cyberattack that acts to lock sensitive data and disable passwords, making systems inaccessible until a ransom is paid to the perpetrator. This payment is often requested in the form of cryptocurrency, which is difficult for authorities to track.
According to the OAIC, ransomware attacks account for 17% of notifiable data breaches in Australia.
Major Australian companies such as Toll Group, BlueScope, Regis Healthcare and Isentia, as well as various government agencies, were all victims of ransomware attacks in 2020. In the case of Toll Group, the company was the target of two serious attacks in just five months.
Head of the ACSC, Abigail Bradshaw, told ABC that while attacks such as phishing scams are still commonplace, ransomware is increasingly being used to lock up people's systems and data then demand a ransom in return for their release.
"This year we've seen ransomware attacks on reasonably large businesses, as well as small businesses, which can cripple a business while they try and work out how to keep their businesses going," she said.
Data backups are essential, but not guaranteed
The rise of ransomware attacks and other data breaches leave organisations in every industry exposed to the possibility of data loss and subsequent financial and reputational damage. In other words, you are risking your entire business if you don’t have a reliable and secure backup solution in place.
And as the old adage says, prevention is better than cure. The ACSC notes: “Investing in preventative cyber security measures, such as keeping regular offline backups of business critical data and patching known security vulnerabilities, is more cost effective than the comparative costs incurred when attempting to recover from a ransomware incident.”
Unfortunately, many organisations incorrectly assume that by using cloud-based systems such as Microsoft Office 365, data is automatically being backed up. In fact, 81% of IT professionals say they have experienced data loss in Office 365 – from simple user error to major data security threats.
Area9 has partnered with leading Cloud Backup technology provider Veeam® to deliver a high availability cloud-based backup service addressing organisations’ growing data protection needs.
Area9's Veeam® Cloud Connect services helps business protect and recover critical on-premise applications and systems as well as cloud SaaS based cloud systems such as Office 365.
Area9's Cloud Connect:
- Provides protection for your systems from malicious attacks.
- Allows for rapid recovery for on-premise servers.
- Extends existing backup systems into the Area9 cloud.
- Preserves pre-existing investments in Veeam® products.
Area9 can provide peace of mind for your organisation with a seamless and secure backup and disaster recovery solution through Cloud Connect. Get in touch with us today to discover a smarter and safer way to protect your business-critical data.
