Too often companies remain silent about hacker attacks, making it more difficult to fight cybercrime. This was determined by Bern law enforcement agencies. They therefore want to use information to entice victims to report to the police.
For two years now, the public prosecutor’s office in Bern has had a group dealing with cybercrime. The work of these experts is complicated because many victims of cyber attacks “wrongly” wanted to solve the problem “in secret”, the prosecutor’s office said in its 2022 activity report published on Friday.
Where’s the problem?
What stands out: The term used in the IT security industry and in the media appears in the report of the prosecutor ransomware attack not on. But it is also becoming clear that this is exactly what “cyber attacks” are all about: hacker attacks that end in extortion require the cybercriminals to succeed in stealing and/or encrypting the victim’s valuable data.
Affected companies and administrations are often satisfied with “internal harm reduction” and make a deal with the criminals, the Bernese law enforcement agency criticizes. The victims wanted to ensure that no one would find out about the shortcomings in their IT structure and that their own reputation would not be damaged.
As a result, according to the activity report, law enforcement agencies are often sidelined for too long or completely. This is “short-sighted” and “self-referential”. There is no guarantee against further attacks.
The battle is also about protecting entire industries, so that not only economic damage, but also “essential damage”, for example in the health sector, can be prevented.
The public prosecutor’s office therefore announces an information offensive. Together with the subdistrict police, the cyber group will focus more on prevention in the form of campaigns and information about their work and direct action in the event of attacks.
In addition, they want to clarify which rules victims of such cyber attacks must adhere to.
In the reporting year 2022, 1,098 new cybercrime reports were received (1 percent less than in the previous year). In the field of cybercrime, 972 investigations have been opened (an increase of 84 percent), according to the OM.
Should victims nevertheless consider paying a ransom, the NCSC strongly recommends discussing these steps with the cantonal police.
The website https://www.nomoreransom.org/ provides tips on how to identify the malware and the ability to download known keys. Nomoreransom.org is a joint project of the Dutch police and Europol, in which the Swiss Confederation is also involved.
Sources
- justice.be.ch: activity reports
- ncsc.admin.nl: Ransomware – Now What?
(dsc/sda)
Source: Watson
I’m Ella Sammie, author specializing in the Technology sector. I have been writing for 24 Instatnt News since 2020, and am passionate about staying up to date with the latest developments in this ever-changing industry.
