As cybercrime grows and spreads, we must learn to plug our vulnerabilities

From the weakest individual to the most powerful nations, no one who has an online presence is exempt from the risks of a cyberattack

The Covid-19 lockdowns are reported to have added powerfully to cybercrime activity, as online shopping surged

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Anyone could be a target of cybercrime. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 1:30pm, 16 Jan 2021Updated: 1:41pm, 16 Jan 2021

Early morning on November 30, I turned on my computer to find – gobbledegook. Any sleepiness evaporated as I discovered that my server had been hacked into. All the files had been encrypted. Eventually, we found a ransom note inviting payment of US$3,000 in bitcoin if we wanted the key to “decrypt” the files on our server.

Over the next two weeks, we struggled in vain to recover the files. We contacted Hong Kong’s cybercrime unit and spent a long but futile night in Tseung Kwan O police station compiling a police report. That exercise was useless in terms of recovery, but I suppose could be important if you or your company has a relevant insurance policy.

We did not explore the bitcoin market or pay the hackers. I suppose, by now, they have thrown away the “key”.

We began the painstaking process of reinstalling and rebuilding our computer system. Our information technology provider was next to useless – fine for basic system upkeep, but hopelessly inexpert at giving advice on data recovery. He quickly recommended that we pay the ransom. At times like this, you realise that the people best equipped to rescue your system are the people best equipped to hack it.

A member of the hacking group Red Hacker Alliance uses his computer at their office in Dongguan, Guangdong province, on August 4 last year. Cybercrime is expected to cost the global economy over US$1 trillion in 2020, more than doubled since 2018, a research report said on December 7. Photo: AFP

Six weeks later, there are holes that we have not fully recovered, but we will live without them. Luckily, I have no sensitive data, client files or confidential customer information.