Decreasing Ransomware Attacks, Businesses Must Be Alert

JAKARTA - Cyber crime is increasingly haunting micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Indonesia. Even though the number of ransomware attacks has decreased, this does not mean that online business activists can be careless.

"Kaspersky reported 804,513 monitored ransomware attacks in 2020. This figure represents a decrease in half from 2019 which detected more than 1.9 million ransomware attempts," said General Manager of Kaspersky Southeast Asia, Yeo Siang Tiong, in a press release, Wednesday, April 21.

Indonesia is said to be still in fifth place globally for the number of ransomware detections of 1,158,837. Although in its detection, this figure has decreased to 439,473 in 2020.

According to Kaspersky security researcher Fedor Sinityn, the downward trend in ransomware attacks has also occurred in Thailand, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam. Kaspersky sees this trend as a result of the decline in the number of Wannacry ransomware detections, which is quite dominant.

"The decline in ransomware detection in this region should not take our breath away. Since last year, we have underlined the evolution of the threat. The ransomware group is now more concerned with quality than quantity," said Sinitsyn.

Ransomware is malware that infects a computer, then encrypts data and blocks user access. The attacker will ask for a ransom so that the victim can again access the data and the system.

Despite the decreasing threat, Kaspersky still warns companies of all shapes and sizes against increased activity of 'Ransomware 2.0' otherwise known as targeted ransomware.

To protect computers from ransomware attacks, Kaspersky advised MSME actors not to expose remote desktop services, such as RDP, to public networks. If you must connect to a public network, use a strong password.

Install a patch or patch for a commercial VPN that provides remote access for employees and a VPN that acts as a gateway on the network. Pay special attention to outgoing traffic to detect the connection of the perpetrator and make regular backups. Equally important, provide training in cybersecurity to employees.