{"id":866,"date":"2021-08-23T10:53:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-23T10:53:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.cryptoloc.au\/?p=866"},"modified":"2023-10-03T06:19:39","modified_gmt":"2023-10-03T06:19:39","slug":"why-encryption-is-a-must-for-business-owners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/127.0.0.1\/why-encryption-is-a-must-for-business-owners\/","title":{"rendered":"Why encryption is a must for business owners"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
How valuable is your data? Can you afford to lose it? If not, it\u2019s time to consider the role that encryption can play in protecting your systems from ransomware and other forms of cybercrime.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Cybercrime is increasing at an alarming rate, targeting both businesses and individuals, with a recent Australian <\/a>Institute<\/a> of Criminology report<\/a> estimating its total annual economic impact in Australia at $3.5 billion. And the more complacent people are about the risks of data theft, the easier targets they become.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mathias Gaertner is a world-leading expert on cybercrime. Mathias is a Cyber Security expert serving as external Data Privacy Officer for over 30 companies across Europe, and he was a Lecturer of Information Science for 16 years. As an Expert Witness for Systems and Applications of Information Technology for the German Government, Mathias argues encryption is an effective way to protect data against ransomware attacks and unwelcome intruders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cEncryption is a way to make sure that only the people with the correct decryption key can access your data,\u201d he says. \u201cEncryption helps to mitigate the risk of an attack or intrusion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf someone intrudes in your computer, they can see all of the files. However, if the files are encrypted, they can still see the files, but not the content<\/em> of those files. And if the person can\u2019t see the content of the file, they can\u2019t make use of it. It doesn\u2019t necessarily protect against stealing the files, but it makes that data unusable for others.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gaertner says it\u2019s a myth that passwords, firewalls and other forms of perimeter security are sufficient protection against a cyber attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe paradigm needs to change,\u201d he says. \u201cFor the past 20 years we have been teaching people that this type of security is sufficient. But perimeter security doesn\u2019t take into account the human factor.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gaertner says social engineering activities \u2013 \u2018hacks\u2019 achieved through human interactions \u2013 are what most often lead to people unwittingly inviting intruders into their network, leaving them vulnerable to ransomware.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWith ransomware, it\u2019s usually the user who invites in the intruder through clicking a link in a phishing email that installs spyware,\u201d he says. \u201cThis constitutes a breach which a firewall can\u2019t work against.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPerimeter security does not take into account intrusions from inside the firewall or network. But even if the intruder is within the network or firewall, if the data is encrypted, it makes that data useless to them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For some cybercriminals, access to intelligence is the target. This is especially true of places like research labs, where there may be sensitive data or patented ideas stored within the network. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cGaining intelligence about someone\u2019s work, patent or research can be a cyber criminal\u2019s main interest,\u201d Gaertner says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But even if you\u2019re not running a research lab, or another type of business that would seem to make an obvious target for cybercriminals, Gaertner says encryption is a must. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u2028\u201cIf you have data that is worth protecting, you should protect it with reasonable means,\u201d he says. \u201cEncryption helps mitigate against a successful attack against your systems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s not a question of if you will be hacked, but a question of when. But even if you are hacked, the attacker shouldn\u2019t be able to access your files if they\u2019re encrypted.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\nDebunking the myth<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not a question of if you will be hacked, but a question of when\u201d<\/h3>\n\n\n\n