Ransomware attacks in Australia have cost businesses and the public sector up to $241 million in 2019, according to a new report.

Last year, both enterprises and government agencies counted costs of roughly $1.6 billion in downtime as the number of attacks skyrockets globally.

At a minimum, the effect of ransomware — malware that blocks an organisation’s access to their system unless a ransom is paid — has netted Australia $60 million in costs.

Due to the limited nature of ransomware numbers, the figures presented are “almost certainly significantly understated” for both the cost of ransomware and the resulting impact on downtime, the report claims.

Because employees are the core of any business, they will be the main target for cyber criminals. Making sure your people stay up-to-date with cyber security knowledge, and teaching them to recognize threats, is imperative to the security of your business. The threat landscape is constantly evolving, and so should your approach to defence.

Trained and aware employees are critical to securing an organization, and an effective, ongoing internal security awareness program can help reduce your company’s vulnerability, turning the “weakest link” in your cyber defences into its greatest strength.

– 90% of security breaches are inadvertent, unintentional, and caused by human error.
– 65% of malware is delivered via email.

How does Xari SAT+ work?
Security awareness training and phishing simulations go hand in hand. Phishing has become very sophisticated and almost undetectable, as criminals have found ways to make their emails as realistic as possible. Phishing simulations test employees on how they would respond to a real-life phishing attack. We can send these mock attacks at staggered times, avoiding the “prairie dog effect” where employees warn one another of the email, for the best measurement of all employees’ awareness. We’ll track which employees have clicked on a phishing email, who has given away their password and who has ignored the email.

Your employees are your first and primary line of defence against online crime. Equip them with the knowledge and skills they need to protect themselves – and your business – from criminal elements.

Let us provide you a full picture of your company’s security posture and potential risk, so the employees who were the weakest link in your defense can become its strongest point of protection.

The Xari SAT+ delivers interactive educational videos to all your users. These are easy-to-understand, short, and visually engaging training videos with quizzes to verify employee’s retention of training content. This is delivered regularly, to reinforce the importance of every employee’s role in protecting your business.

Why you need an integrated, ongoing program (like Xari SAT+)?

• Cyber-attacks are on the rise; particularly among small- and mid-sized businesses.
• You may have the most up-to-date and strongest security systems in place, but this will be a wasted investment if you don’t also train and test your staff.
  
• Threats are ever-evolving and become more sophisticated and harder to detect. Regular training on the latest criminal tactics will help mitigate the risk.

Xari Group’s Security Awareness Training and Phishing Email Simulations are designed to protect against human error.

Download our Security Awareness Training Brochure here.