The number of ransomware attempts against small and medium-sized businesses blocked by Kaspersky solutions and the country’s ranking based on the share of users almost infected with this malware. — Photo courtesy of the company

Over three years after the infamous Wannacry ransomware, its costly aftermath remains a vivid testimony to the damage cybercriminals can do by seizing companies’ essential data.

In the first three months of this year Kaspersky’s solutions blocked a total of 269,204 ransomware attempts against businesses in Southeast Asia with 20-250 employees.

Yeo Siang Tiong, general manager for Southeast Asia at Kaspersky, said: “Globally, we can say that ransomware reached its peak years ago. It has gradually decreased in number, however, it is fast becoming business-centric.

“Based on our latest research, one in three ransomware attacks are now targeting business users. So while the total number of ransomware attempts detected in the region is 69 per cent lower compared with the same period last year, the risks of SMBs (small and medium businesses) and enterprises losing their data and their cash because of this threat is ever-present.

“The good news is that there are effective ways to protect SMB’s much-needed cash from becoming payments to get their kidnapped data back.”

According to Kaspersky’s experts, before a ransomware attack, businesses should always have fresh back-up copies of their files so that they can replace them in case they are lost and store them not only physically but also in cloud storage for greater reliability, build a shared sense of responsibility inside the company, explain to employees how following simple rules can help a company avoid ransomware incidents and create employee and operational control policies that cover aspects of network management and facilities.

They should set up layered security in everything, install all security updates as soon as they become available, and use a ransomware tool, they said. — VNS