Macquarie Bank's guide to protecting against the latest craze in cybercrime

It starts innocuously enough. You receive an email from a colleague; just the regular kind of short message they’re always sending and a link to an article they thought you’d like. But when you click on it, your troubles start.

It’s not The Australian or The New York Times that you’re taken to. Instead, you’re directed to a screen that tells you all of the data stored on your computer has been encrypted. Worse still, you’re not going to get it back unless you pay. And to top it off, for every 30 minutes you delay, a piece of data will be destroyed or the price of having it unlocked will increase.

What’s happened is that you’ve just downloaded dangerous ransomware to your system. And ransomware is on the rise....Click here to read more.

Macquarie has been providing Business Banking solutions for over 30 years and provides SME clients with tools and strategies to grow and develop their business. You can get regular updates by subscribing to the monthly newsletter, Strictly Business by visiting macquarie.com.au/businessbanking. If you would like to find out more about how Macquarie can support you to take your business further, call us at our Parramatta office on 0418 253 049 and be connected with one of our real estate banking specialists in your region.

This information has been prepared by Macquarie Bank Limited ABN 46 008 583 542 AFSL and Australian Credit Licence 237502 (“Macquarie”) for general information purposes only. This information does not constitute advice. Opinions expressed are subject to change without notice. No member of Macquarie accepts any liability whatsoever for any direct, indirect, consequential or other loss arising from any use of this information.