Playing against hackers: New game raises employee awareness
Hacker attacks on Swiss companies are becoming more frequent and more professional. Employees must therefore pay particular attention. To better prepare them for possible attacks, computer scientists from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts have developed a free online game for companies in collaboration with Fabula Games.
Crime on the Internet is growing. Among other things, "ransomware attacks" regularly cause great concern. In such attacks, hackers use malware to steal company data and encrypt it. They then demand a high ransom for the decryption - anyone who does not comply must expect the stolen data to be published.
Cyber security experts from the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts (HSLU) are also aware of the increasing risks of such attacks. In collaboration with the game designers from Fabula Games, they have therefore developed a free online game to raise awareness among employees in companies. It is available free of charge on the information platform of "eBanking - but secure!" (EBAS) information platform, which the HSLU operates as a service for banks and companies.
Humans represent the largest gateway of entry
Oliver Hirschi, lecturer at the Department of Computer Science at HSLU and co-developer of the game, explains: "The biggest gateway for ransomware attacks is the human being. Among other things, we have to start there." Quickly, you click on a link in a seemingly trustworthy email and you open an attachment to a fake website. Through this gateway, criminals subsequently manage to obtain confidential data or install dangerous software on the device. "These attacks are very professionally engineered these days - detecting them is becoming more and more challenging. That's why employees need to be better sensitized and trained," says Hirschi.
Playing for better protection
Hirschi and his team deliberately chose an interactive approach that differs from a pure information campaign. In the game, you find yourself in a supposedly everyday office situation - but subsequently become the target of cybercriminals. The task is to recognize the ransomware attack as quickly as possible and react correctly. The player is confronted with various decisions. Those who successfully click through all the tasks receive a personal evaluation at the end and further information about protection against hacker attacks. The game can be used by companies as desired and integrated into awareness campaigns.
Source: www.hslu.ch
