Malware attacks are not new, but targeted attacks on specific industries are getting craftier every day. Hit Promotional Products is the latest promotional products company that got hit and fell victim to a malware virus. Scammers seem to be sending to companies in the industry and try to have them click a link unknowingly. Not too long ago, Hub Promotional Group and High Caliber Line were hit by the attack also.
High Caliber’s network got hit really hard. They found out too late that the link they had was from a valid distributor which says ‘click here for the PO or for artwork confirmation.’ Once the link hits was opened, the virus travels through the servers and shuts down all computers. And of course, like most ransomware type malware, it targets and hits certain drives and files.
In a statement today, Krista Ward, director of marketing for Hit Promotional Products, explained the supplier’s current situation dealing with the malware.
“Like many others in our industry, Hit Promotional Products has had computers and servers compromised by the industry-targeted malware,” she said. “We did experience system disruptions last week, as the virus specifically targeted a protocol on one of our file servers that processes artwork.”
She added that the supplier worked with an outside security company to monitor the virus, and has taken security measures to strengthen its network.
“At the present time, all of our critical systems are functioning, and our hard-working employees are working overtime to catch up on artwork processing and ship orders, as we expect to set a record number of new orders booked this week,” she said.
Hit Promo didn’t disclose the security measures it took, but Dorfman said High Caliber Line worked with Cylance, a cloud-based antivirus software that uses a form of artificial intelligence.
“It detects the virus right away and leads you directly to where to clean,” he said. “We have been attacked twice since this has been installed, and the first time it took two hours to be up and running, and the next time less than an hour. It has stopped the malware from coming in at all too many times to count.”
New malware are so persistent and they will try everything to get back into your network and compromise everything. After getting your system back together, anti-virus, anti-malware and network strengthening is needed, bundled with vigilance to avoid it from crippling your business.
Hardware applications are not very secure anymore, some malware are designed to easily pass through some known hardware security.
Double-check the validity of links before you open them. Opening one of those links, as the website loads up, it is already doing something in the background to infect your device. Pop-ups and pop-unders might also be there and closing it does not necessarily terminate the underlying code that has been ran already.
Might as well be paranoid, rather than to be left in ruins due to a malware attack.
