AT LEAST 61 entities from the Asia-Pacific (Apac) were breached by a targeted ransomware group in 2020, a top official of a global security firm said.
Vitaly Kamluk, director of Global Research and Analysis Team for Apac at Kaspersky, said Australia and India logged the highest number of incidents across Apac.
Results of this recent market study were revealed during the company’s Cybersecurity Weekend webinar held Tuesday, Dec. 8.
In terms of industries, Kaspersky’s data showed that light industry which includes manufacturing of clothes, shoes, furniture, consumer electronics and home appliances; public service; media and technology; heavy industry which includes oil, mining, shipbuilding, steel, chemicals, machinery manufacturing; consulting; finance; and logistics were some of the segments that were compromised while the world is battling the novel coronavirus pandemic.
“Targeted ransomware has been a problem for many Asian enterprises. Over 61 companies were breached this way in Asia alone. In some cases, Maze ransomware gang claimed responsibility and published stolen data from the compromised companies,” said Kamluk.
Maze group stands out as the most active and the most damaging of all. Formed in summer 2019, it took them about half a year to prepare and launch a full-scale campaign against many businesses. The first victims appeared in November 2019, when they leaked 700MB of the victim’s internal data online.
Pressure tactic
Many other cases followed and within a year Maze breached at least 334 companies and organizations. This is one of the first groups which started the use of “pressure tactic.” This refers to cybercriminals threatening victims that they will publicly leak the most sensitive data stolen from their compromised systems via the group’s own website.
“Pressure tactic is a serious threat to public and private organizations. This attack plays on companies’ digital reputation as it threatens to divulge data of a breached entity, compromising its security and its name at the same time,” he added.
Kamluk noted that digitalization has birthed different pressure points for a company. Before, enterprises’ main concerns only included business continuity and, depending on the industry, government regulation. Now, surviving in the era of digital reputation economy means that they should also be aware of business trust – with their partners and customers – as well as public opinion.
A study showed that 51 percent of users in Apac agree that a company’s online reputation is essential. Almost half (48 percent) also admitted that they avoid companies that were involved in a scandal or had received negative news coverage online.
“A successful targeted ransomware attack is a PR crisis which can damage an organization’s reputation, online and offline. Financial toll aside, fixing one’s name is quite a harder task to take, which is why we urge public and private entities to take their security seriously,” Kamluk noted.
Kaspersky advised its clients to prepare action plans for disaster recovery, train employees while working remotely, invest in security solutions and monitor software activities. / KOC