17 September 2018, author: Natascha Fabian, photo: Helvetia
Case study: An employee's inbox contains an e-mail to which malware is attached. The employee inadvertently opens the attachment. The malware encrypts the small company’s entire server and the business grinds to a halt, as all the processes are reliant on digital data. All the systems have to be reinstalled before everyone can get back to work.
Malware is short for malicious software developed specifically to cause harm to users. There are many subtypes of malware, such as viruses, Trojans, rootkits and spyware. Cybercriminals exploit a system security weakness to install malware. As in the case described, this can be done via an e-mail attachment, but also when a user is browsing the Internet or opens a download. Criminals then gain access to the system in order to obtain money or information or infect the PC in order to blackmail the company.
Take these five preventive measures to protect your business and raise staff awareness of the issue of cyber risks.
Staff training is also particularly important, to enable them to identify malware in their e-mails whenever possible. Helvetia now offers free security training for SMEs and their employees. Learn more about correct behaviour online and handling confidential data.
In the event of a claim, Helvetia also provides access to a network of experts consisting of IT security specialists and others. The goal is to resume operations as quickly as possible.