The Commissioner for Consumer Protection has issued a cyber-attack warning to WA businesses following a recent case where a Perth company was forced to stop trading due to a ransomware attack.
Commissioner, Penny Lipscombe (pictured) said the company was facing a $30 million ransom demand from cyber criminals who had locked the company’s computer system, effectively shutting down the business.
Ms Lipscombe said businesses should be on alert for cyber-attacks and have effective security measures in place.
“Often the ransomware is downloaded by an employee who opens an attachment in a scam email or clicks on a link, giving the cyber criminals access to the computer system,” Ms Lipscombe said.
“The system is locked by the criminals and files encrypted, followed by a ransom demand to have the system unlocked,” she said.
“Of course, we recommend that companies do not pay the ransom as the criminals are likely to come back asking for more money.”
She said paying a ransom would also give the criminals an incentive to continue their illegal and highly disruptive practices, instead advising that expert IT assistance should be sought.
“All businesses should have their cyber security reviewed and updated so that they have the latest anti-virus software and firewalls installed to be protected from malware,” Ms Lipscombe said.
“Staff also need to be trained not to automatically open attachments or click on links in emails, especially if the sender is unknown,” she said.
“Even when senders are known, staff should be vigilant as accounts may have been hacked.”
She WA ScamNet had received 68 reports of ransomware or malware attacks since 1 January.
