A cyberattack that is wreaking havoc on companies around the world is also hitting close to home as businesses are impacted by the new strain of ransomware.
- Kissimmee-based company hit by WannaCry cyberattack
- Poinciana Milling Complex: We are losing money every day
- Cybersecurity analyst: Have a good backup recovery system
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Poinciana Milling Complex in Kissimmee said its computers were affected Thursday, shutting down the company's rice-milling operations and locking all files, which are now held for ransom to a cyber attacker.
"For every day that goes by, we lose money," said Jean Badley, a fourth-generation rice miller. "We lose hundreds of thousands of dollars. ... It said something about bitcoins and encrypted files. I had no clue what that was, so I called in the IT person right away."
Badley's husband and business co-owner, Hefazul Hakh, said they can't even retrieve all of the purchase orders.
"I thought we had a system that could save these files and these people are very smart who are doing these things," he said.
Ray Bazzi, a cybersecurity analyst with Diriga Technologies, said the attack hits small businesses especially hard because they might not be prepared.
"Unfortunately if you don't have a good backup recovery system, you're gambling," he said.
Bazzi shared other tips for protecting your business — or yourself — from cyberattacks:
- Keep your software updated
- Educate your employees on how to spot the signs
- Have a unified threat strategy