The war in Ukraine is spilling over into cyber threats to Australian small businesses and they should be urgently reviewing security, says an HLB Mann Judd specialist.
Risk and assurance director Kapil Kukreja said some businesses mistakenly believed they were too small to be a target - but the threats were real.
“Hackers are becoming increasingly sophisticated in how they target and attack and it’s no longer a case of if a business should come under attack, but when,” he said.
He said Russia was infamous for its criminal hackers, some of which were state-sponsored, and Australia’s stance on the war in Ukraine meant businesses here could become collateral damage.
“Australian companies are a part of global supply chains. Some will have either direct or indirect links with Russia and/or Ukraine,” he said.
“NotPetya, the cyber-attack by Russian military hackers is considered to be the costliest cyber-attack in history. The destructive software was hidden in an update of popular accounting software used in Ukraine, but spread worldwide destroying the computer systems of thousands of companies and causing approximately $10 billion of damage.
“Similarly, the Wiper malware, which is currently prevalent in Ukraine, launched by Russia, can potentially spread in several countries within minutes, including Australia.”
The Australian Cyber Security Centre has issued an advisory urgently encouraging local organisations to boost their cyber security in light of rising international tensions with Russia.
Mr Kukreja – who advises the SME market and government departments – said small businesses especially should assess their preparedness for a cyber security incident, and review their response and business continuity plans.
“For SME businesses the impact of cyber fraud may be more profound, as the security of larger sized organisations is tha ..
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