Today the Digital Trust Center (DTC), part of the Department of Economic Affairs (EZ), published its 20th entrepreneurial story in a series in which real companies share their experiences with cybercrime. In the 20th story, the director-owner of Hoppenbrouwers tells how the Kaseya hack at the time led to an impactful ransomware attack on the tech company. The story series aims to alert business owners to the growing threat of cyber attacks and provide them with valuable advice on how to protect themselves.
The entrepreneurial stories offer insight into how companies ranging from small businesses to medium- and large-scale enterprises have fallen victim to various forms of cybercrime. The entrepreneurs experienced, among other things, ransomware attacks, fake emails, identity fraud and brute force attacks. The stories highlight not only the impact of the attacks, but also the recovery strategies and preventive measures these companies have taken since then.
The latest entrepreneurial story is about the hack at technical services provider Hoppenbrouwers. Hoppenbrouwers faced a ransomware attack in the summer of 2021. They were victims of the global Kaseya hack, which infected and encrypted their devices. The hostage software had spread to all booted computers during the afternoon.
From the recently published TNO research report "Secure digital business - Understanding motivations and barriers through target group segmentation", shows that entrepreneurs can be divided into five different groups based on their attitudes toward cybersecurity. For example, the "overconfident" and the "indifferent" have been identified. For these groups, stories of experience told by entrepreneurs are more effective in creating awareness. The stories of other entrepreneurs confront these groups of business owners with the reality of cyber threats and the serious consequences you experience if your business becomes a victim.
For the overconfident, who often underestimate the risks, stories about similar companies that were victims can be an eye-opener. These stories help them see that they too are vulnerable, and this motivates them to take additional protective measures.
The indifferent generally have little confidence in the effectiveness of cybersecurity measures. For them, success stories of entrepreneurs who have managed to prevent or mitigate cyber attacks through timely and appropriate action can be influential. By sharing these stories, these entrepreneurs can be inspired to take steps to increase their cyber resilience anyway.
Bringing attention to the entrepreneurial stories aligns with the recommendations of this study, which emphasizes that customization and appropriate communication strategies are essential to effectively reach and activate diverse entrepreneurial audiences.
"By sharing these stories, we hope to inspire and inform other business owners so they don't make the same mistakes. It is important that businesses of all sizes are aware of the risks and take the necessary steps to increase their digital resilience," said DTC manager Michel Verhagen. "There are also groups of entrepreneurs who take action when it is concrete and tailored to their own situation. For them, interactive tools such as the CyberSafe Check, Risk Class Tool and the Security Check Process Automation ('OT Tool') useful tools to enhance the cyber security of their businesses.'
