computer attack, security | This can affect anyone

When Sandefjords Blad had a data breach over Christmas, we couldn’t publish a paper newspaper for two days, and only in March did we get to the point where the printer could be used again.

It was expensive and affected readers, advertisers, and employees alike. However, leading data security experts believe that Amedia – of which the Sandefjords Blad Group is a part – have handled this well. Then we also had to get the newspaper online up-to-date all the time, but it took a lot to get the paper out again and back up the systems again.

However, it is estimated that Amedia lost just over 30 million NOK in the attack. Then to this must be added the cost of frustration and headaches for many employees, and for customers who for a short time were unable even to change the address of the place of delivery of the newspaper.

However, we are not the only ones affected by hacker attacks. It happens all the time. On Monday, even the NSA website was bombed in a so-called denial of service attack.

It affects local small businesses. Sandefjord Human Verneservice was recently suspended for three days when the email account was taken over by hackers. I understand very well that Jan Carlsen in the company thought the situation was disgusting. Orders and communications are done mainly by email, and therefore deliveries have been suspended.

They contacted the IT company who eventually settled it. this is good.

But a statement from Karlsen saying “I never thought a relatively small company from Sandefjord could be affected by something like that” makes me even more concerned – and that’s what motivates me to write Leader of the Day. I think there are a lot of people like him who think that doesn’t happen to them. And if you had asked me before Christmas, I wouldn’t have thought that serious computer attacks could affect the company I work for.

Read the case here: – It was a bad feeling

Computer attacks are often untargeted and indiscriminately affect small as well as large businesses. Sandefjords Blad and Amedia were affected by ransomware, and it was never appropriate for us to pay what scammers demand to decrypt their servers. Fortunately, we had a very skilled IT department and good backup solutions in the back.

But what about small businesses? When you think about how hard it is to lose just one email in three days, what do you do if everything you own in computer systems is encrypted and locked by criminal hackers? Is your company ready? What’s the plan?

The Sandefjords Blad had a whole bunch behind him. My concern is that small businesses standing alone can completely break their backs.

Norwegian companies in general are not well protected, says Rohr Thun, director of the National Security Agency.

For many, things may have gone well so far.

But now it is no longer a question of whether they will be subjected to a computer attack, but the question of when. Nobody goes free. Not the Sandefjords Blad, nor the National Security Agency – nor the small business.