Norwegian companies pay ransom rather than invest in IT security
This summer we could read that half of Norwegian companies pay ransom rather than invest in IT security. It is worrying that small and medium-sized businesses are the ones who spend the least time on risk assessments. Most often it is the little ones who have the most to lose.

Those who work actively with security and the fight against crime know that prevention is far more cost-effective than dealing with the consequences afterwards. What is important is to analyze what you want to protect and what constitute possible threats. This could, for example, be that the company is barred from accessing its own vital information - by someone entering the information system, encrypting the information and demanding a ransom to open it again.

Physical infrastructure such as offices, furniture and machinery are of course also important, but these are often easier to replace. An example is our customer who experienced burglary in their premises, but who was already ready to work again by lunch. Read more about this case here.

One in three executives thinks it is too expensive and time-consuming to safeguard against data attacks
NorSIS has conducted a management survey which shows that as many as 34 percent of those surveyed think it costs too much time and money to safeguard against data attacks. In addition, we can read that one in four business executives believes it is very unlikely that data attacks will hit them.

The reality is that top management plays a key role through their example. Unfortunately, managers forget that more than half of data attacks are caused by errors and lack of knowledge about information security among employees. The management has a responsibility to establish good safety routines, and to ensure that these are followed by both the management itself and the employees.

How can we protect ourselves?
In Braathe Gruppen we believe that one of the most important measures to protect against fraud attempts is to have good routines. Employees are the best defense of the business, and if good routines are followed, it can help to minimize the risk of attacks. In addition, if you have good backup routines, it can help you if the accident happens. Read more about backup and antivirus on our pages about Safety.

So making sure you have backups is very important. These can be either offline backups or version control backups.

An additional tip in connection with the national security month is to train the employees. This can be done by taking the National Security Month training course, which is free for all small businesses. Read more about the course here: https://www.xtramile.no/sikkerhetsmaneden

Sources:
https://nettvett.no/
https://www.nsr-org.no/
https://norsis.no/
https://e24.no/teknologi/