Cyberattacks and secure value chains

Systematic cyberattacks, known as ransomware to obtain payment or crash software, have increased sharply recently. The costs of cyberattacks are already estimated to amount to billions. APPLiAnytt has delved into the issue of cybersecurity to find out about trends and how to protect your company.

The number of cyberattacks has increased sharply during the pandemic and shows no signs of abating. At the same time, the attacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated and systematic.

”"Cyber attacks in value chains where the attacker, often state-supported, targets a supplier in order to ultimately knock out a broader spectrum of companies are increasing. It is crucial for Swedish competitiveness and innovation that the entire value chain is aware of threats and takes measures to strengthen its own cybersecurity," says Annika Aven, responsible for cyber defense at the Security and Defense Companies.

Increased concern about cybercrime

The public is also increasingly concerned about cybercrime. Ahead of the EU's Cybersecurity Month in October, The Swedish Security and Emergency Preparedness Agency (MSB), who, together with the police, run the campaign annually Think Safely, questions about public behavior and attitudes regarding IT security. The aim of the campaign is to increase awareness of information and cybersecurity issues and is aimed at private individuals and companies with up to ten employees where private life and business are closely linked.

The proportion who feel increased concern about IT-related crime as a result of the corona pandemic has increased since the last survey a year ago from 7% to 15%.

How do you protect your business?

Basically, it's about doing a basic security analysis and segmenting the information to protect you and your company. While digitalization creates exciting opportunities to use smart solutions both at home and at work, it also means risks that you as an entrepreneur need to be aware of, not least to be able to answer customer questions. Do a risk analysis where you ask yourself questions such as:

Where is the information that the company depends on stored and how is it protected?
What information must always be accurate and reliable?
How long can you survive without a connection?
Is there a backup and if so, where?

Mobile and email are central working tools with company information and therefore important to protect. It is common for management and the IT department to have a security mindset, but it is not always the case that awareness reaches everyone within a company. Historically, employee emails where they have clicked on links or files have been a problem.

Think carefully about which apps you download and delete the ones you don't use.
Apps that are not up to date can pose security risks, so you should accept automatic updates
Two-step authentication for accessing particularly sensitive information is recommended
Long and secure passwords that are changed regularly for all employees
Backup disconnected from the regular network to be able to restore a previously working version if the network is hacked

Read the IT Security 2021 report from MSB and the Police here.

MSB's tips for securing your company information

Photo: Joshua Woroniecki/Unsplash

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