When Stangeland Maskin’s employees came to work on the morning of December 15th, something wasn’t right: all computer systems were shut down, and access to all programs was blocked.
– This is a dangerous situation that we have not encountered before. For us, that’s big. We don’t have a full overview yet, General Manager Tommy Stangeland tells NRK.
Tommy Stangeland, General Manager, Stangeland Maskin.
Photo: NRK
He emphasized that all of the company’s suppliers had been notified of the attack, and that none of the construction works had been affected.
Headquartered in Sola, Stangeland Maskin employs 650 employees and will have a turnover of NOK 1.5 billion in 2022.
– This is a criminal act. So we don’t want to say much about it. We are in a difficult situation. We have customers, suppliers, and employees that we have to take care of, says Stangeland.
to me Aftenbledit Hackers are said to have demanded tens of millions of NOK in ransom to unlock computer systems again.
“I don’t want to deny or confirm any of it, but it’s a natural way of thinking that it works that way,” Stangeland tells NRK.
hired experts
The company hired data security experts to get the situation under control. The police have also been notified.
– The police received a report of a breach in the computer systems. That’s all we can say for now, says Sturll Smith, chief of economic crimes in the Joint Intelligence and Investigation Unit in the Southwest Police District.
According to Tommy Stangeland, it may take several weeks before they get a proper overview.
– But what is certain is that when all this is over, we will have a very secure computer system, he says.
Not far from Stangeland’s head office in Sola, we find Atea, a company that helps companies secure data.
– do not pay
Security Director Anita Saunderson She has no knowledge of the attack on Stangeland, so she is speaking in general terms.
Anita Saundersen, Director of IT Security at Atea.
Photo: Johan Mihle Laugaland/NRK
– She adds that the most important thing is not to pay a ransom, because you have no guarantee that they will not attack again, and you have no guarantee that you will recover your data if it is encrypted.
Sondresen says it is It is important for companies to have a proper plan in case of an attack.
– so that you know in advance what to do to restart the systems, and who to contact. She says you must have emergency preparedness.
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