- Business Live Middle East
VIVA – Companies in Southeast Asia (SEA) are being targeted by digital thieves according to the global cybersecurity firm, Kaspersky.
Ransomware is a type of malicious software that encrypts files or locks a computer's system, effectively holding it hostage, until the victim pays a ransom to the attacker. Ransomware attacks typically begin with a user clicking on a link or downloading an infected attachment in an email or other message.
Once the ransomware has infected the computer or network, it encrypts the victim's files, making them inaccessible. The attacker then demands payment in exchange for a decryption key to unlock the files or restore access to the system. Payments are usually demanded in cryptocurrency to make it more difficult to trace the attacker.
Ransomware attacks can be devastating for individuals and businesses, leading to significant financial losses, reputational damage, and even the loss of sensitive data. In recent years, there have been several high-profile ransomware attacks targeting organizations such as hospitals, government agencies, and large corporations.
This technique has evolved rapidly since the first attack in 1989. Since 2016, the malicious actors behind these threats have shifted from targeting individual users to larger enterprises. Known high-impact incidents include the Wannacry Ransomware, with losses of approximately US$4 billion.
Ilustrasi hacker atau serangan siber.
- Dok. Kaspersky
Due to its high return on investment nature, ransomware groups continue to attack enterprises globally, including businesses in Southeast Asia.
New statistics from Kaspersky reveal that a total of 304,904 ransomware attacks targeting businesses in the region were blocked by Kaspersky's B2B solutions last year, according to an official statement on Wednesday.
Indonesia recorded the highest number of incidents thwarted by Kaspersky B2B solutions (131,779), followed by Thailand (82,438), and Vietnam (57,389). The Philippines recorded a total of 21,076 ransomware attacks, Malaysia had 11,750, and Singapore had 472.
Kaspersky's telemetry also revealed that the most common ransomware types targeting businesses in Indonesia are:
- Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Wanna
- Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Agent
- Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Stop
- Trojan-Ransom.Win32.Gen
- Trojan-Ransom.Win64.Zikma
"One of our new studies has confirmed that three in five businesses in Southeast Asia have fallen victim to a ransomware attack. Some have, but half have fallen prey multiple times. Our 2022 data reveals that this will continue to be a threat to companies in Southeast Asia as it proves highly lucrative for cybercriminals," General Manager for Southeast Asia, Yeo Siang Tiong stated.
The cybersecurity talent gap continues to haunt companies in the region. One study even noted that there is a shortage of 2.1 million much-needed local cybersecurity staff in the Asia Pacific region.
In addition, only 5 percent of corporate leaders confirmed that they have an internal incident response capability or have a regular IT team or service provider to be aware of ransomware attacks. This explains why the majority (94 percent) of them require external help during the incident.
"With the advent of the Ransomware 3.0 trend, expert cybersecurity is required that goes beyond your typical endpoint solutions. This can be done by equipping your security team with expert detection and incident response tools, such as Kaspersky XDR (Extended Detection and Response)," Tiong added.
It is a multi-layered security technology platform in the form of expert cybersecurity solutions and services, which can be customized for any size organization and uses a proactive approach to coordinate separate security tools into a detection platform.
