Every day companies are affected by hackers. But few attacks have ever had this type of scope.
Recently, over 75,000 computer systems at close to 2,500 businesses (in the U.S. and around the world) were recently hacked by cyber criminals.
The intrusion, named the “Kneber bot,” affected an array of industries in 196 countries.
Here’s what happened: Hackers lured unsuspecting workers at targeted companies to download infected software or open e-mails containing infected attachments.
The malicious software gave hackers the ability to take over users’ computers and steal log-in credentials, passwords, etc. Hackers could then exploit that data, hack into other users’ systems – until the infected systems eventually grew exponentially.
What’s worse: Experts fear that most private industries don’t have the security in place to deal with attacks as sophisticated as the Kneber bot.
However, it’s always a good idea to remind employees about the basics — Don’t download software from unknown sources, etc. Also, it doesn’t hurt to have IT install a warning that pops up every time a staffer is asked to download a program or open an attachment.
