A variety of ways have been employed to trick accountants and business owners into opening links or downloading attachments that allow cyber criminals to access files or prevent targets from accessing their own files until a ransom has been paid.
In seeking to negate this threat, the ATO has offered some tips to protect practices and their clients’ information.
You should not open attachments or click on links in unsolicited or unfamiliar emails, SMSes or social media messages.
Practices should ensure computer security systems are up-to-date with anti-virus and anti-spyware software, including using a firewall to block unauthorised access and securing wireless networks and remote accesses.
Thumb drives or other removable media should not be plugged into a practice’s network unless they are trusted and have been checked for viruses.
Lastly, regular physical backups should be kept separate from your network.
The ATO urged practices to report any system breaches or ransom demands.