”Have you tried turning it off and then on again?” – The FBI

Recently our security partners, Sophos shared a public service announcement posted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation advising small and medium businesses that they were at significant risk of attack from ‘VPN Malware’.

The malware was said to be able to affect over 100,000 devices and would essentially render network routers inoperable. The FBI added ”The malware can potentially also collect information passing through the router. Detection and analysis of the malware’s network activity is complicated by its use of encryption and misattributable networks”.

The bureau gave the following advice; turn your routers off and then back on again. It is thought that this could disrupt the malware and also provide an opportunity for authorities to detect affected networks and apprehend the malware.

This news comes at a delicate time for small to medium businesses, many of whom are working hard to ensure GDPR compliance and finalising cyber security insurance.

Remember, it is incredibly important that your business is prepared to fight malware attacks. Malware attacks generally mean downtime for your business and downtime means a loss in revenue.

If you are in any doubt about your cyber security then now is a great time to discuss your protection plan with a cyber security expert.