Learn how ransomware attacks work and how to guard against them.
What ransomware is
Ransomware is a type of harmful software used by hackers to lock you out of your computer or important files. They do this to demand money in exchange for unlocking your files.
How ransomware might impact you
Hackers usually look for security weaknesses they can take advantage of. This means ransomware can affect both individuals and organisations that hold information about many clients.
A successful attack can compromise thousands of records, causing significant financial and reputational damage.
We have seen these attacks lead to sensitive customer, employee and business documents being taken, including access and passwords to myIR accounts.
What you can do to safeguard your business and customers
To safeguard against ransomware:
- ensure that all software is up-to-date
- implement strong backup protocols and test them regularly
- educate staff to recognise phishing attempts — often the entry point for ransomware
- ensure that multifactor authentication (2-step verification) is enabled across all accounts and services.
Regularly testing security systems can also help reduce the risk.
Set up two-step verification for myIR
More information from other websites
Set up multifactor authentication for your Microsoft 365 account (support.microsoft.com)
Deploy 2-Step Verification (knowledge.workspace.google.com)
Multifactor authentication and verification (ncsc.govt.nz)
Protect yourself against ransomware (ownyouronline.govt.nz)
How we can help
If you or your business have been impacted, contact us as soon as possible.
We can help protect and monitor your and your clients’ myIR accounts for any unusual activity.
We also recommend notifying the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) if you are impacted. Please note, the New Zealand Government strongly discourages paying ransoms to criminals.