Boardriders Inc. confirmed that its computer systems were attacked recently. The Huntington Beach, Calif.–based action-sports juggernaut did not identify the nature of the tech attack or when it happened. In a statement, the company described the attack as one that was quickly contained.

“Recently, Boardriders Inc. was exposed to an increasingly common computer virus that impacted some of our systems in some regions,” the statement said. “Our IT teams have been working to quickly restore our systems to support our operations, which are now largely transacting and shipping normally. We are proud of how our teams have responded to this challenge, and we are incredibly grateful for their hard work. We also greatly appreciate our customers’ and vendors’ patience and support during this brief interruption.” News of the attack was first reported on the Shop Eat Surf website.

Companies, municipalities and consumers are increasingly being attacked by cybercriminals who hijack computer systems for ransom, said Shahin Kohan, president of the Los Angeles–headquartered AIMS360 company, which makes software such as enterprise resource planning systems for the fashion industry.

Cybercriminals often want to be paid in bitcoin, which cannot be traced, Kohan said. “Some companies buy bitcoin and keep it around so they can resolve situations right away,” he said.

Kohan recommended a few steps companies can take to prevent cybercrime. One is to place their systems on a secure cloud.

“They have comprehensive tools to look at every request coming into a system,” he said. Another similar step is to use an artificial intelligence program to look at every request coming into a system in order to guarantee that the requests are legitimate.

“You also have to train your staff to not click on phishing emails,” Kohan said. Opening an email requesting a company or a personal password, for example, can expose a company to cybercrime.