Why remote working leaves us vulnerable to cyber-attacks

A cyber-crime group known as REvil took meticulous care when picking the timing for its most recent attack – US Independence Day, 4 July.

They knew many IT specialists and cyber-security experts would be on leave, enjoying a long weekend off work.

Before long, more than 1,000 companies in the US, and at least 17 other countries, were under attack from hackers.

Many firms were forced into a costly downtime period as a result.

Among those targeted during the incident was a well-known software provider, Kaseya.

REvil used Kaseya as a conduit to spread its ransomware – a malware that can scramble and steal an organisation’s computer data – through other corporate and cloud-based networks that use the software.