Our reliance on technology has rapidly made cyber security the top concern for business owners around the globe. Cyber criminality is on the rise, but these attacks aren’t as you may imagine, because no longer are cyber criminal’s tech geniuses in their mum’s basement but now they look like you or I and are arguably more dangerous than ever. Modern tech has made it possible for cyber criminals to attack your systems from any device – this makes it more likely for your business to become the victim of a cyber attack than ever. The best course of action to turn the tide on the cyber criminals is a cautious one, so your system must be prepared for any eventuality or else risk losing the ability to operate as a successful organisation.
Throughout the following two articles we will familiarise you with some of the most common of cyber threats that jeopardise the sanctity of your systems. We will follow this up with exploring some of the tools you can implement that will put you in a better position for standing against cyber criminality.
Cyber security is essential no matter the size of your business!
Tech has become the main driver for a successful business. Modern organisations could not survive without it, nor could they offer the service that we have all become accustomed to in the modern world. However, problems have come with it like anything innovative and revolutionary – our reliance on it has opened the door to cyber criminals with unique opportunities to commit cyber attacks. A cyber criminal gaining access or control over your systems could become a business defining disaster, as they will have the power to completely incapacitate your business and, depending on the sophistication of the attack, there may be no way of stopping them.
Your cyber security should arguably trump your physical security in the modern world. But, due to lack of knowledge on the potentially disastrous consequences of a successful breach, business owners usually don’t spend enough time or money on the protection of their vital systems. Business owners need to wake up and smell the coffee! The reality of the modern world is that businesses are more likely to be attacked in cyber space than they are physically – the subconscious effort you go to in defending your home or business from a physical threat should be just as vigorous and automatic as the efforts you make to defend your cyber environment.
Let’s look at some of the methods that cyber criminals may use to attack your systems:
The Cyber Threats
Malware
Malware is software designed with the sole intention of causing harm, or as the vessel for a cyber criminal to steal your data. Malware takes multiple forms and is unique in the fact that it is usually managed by a group instead of an individual; the group’s goal from the attack – as with most cyber attacks – is to make money. They do this in two different ways; either by selling the Malware over the dark web for others to spread, or by spreading it themselves.
Phishing attacks
Phishing scams come in multiple different forms just like Malware; cyber criminals will most commonly assume a false identity with the intention of extracting sensitive information directly from their victim through misplaced trust and a well-rehearsed ruse. The false identity that is adopted by the cyber criminal is well thought out – they don’t just pretend to be anyone but will choose someone that is perfectly primed with enough access and privileges to give them what they want. They usually won’t go to unrealistic lengths with their efforts, but make sure who they choose is someone that is trusted or at the very least familiar to the target individual – a bank or a work colleague, for example. The attack takes places over email, partially because it is the quickest and easiest form of reaching their desired target and also because it is one of the few ways that their ruse may be believed.
Ransomware attacks
Ransomware attacks are designed to force victims into paying a ransom in order to gain back access to their encrypted files or disabled systems. The hackers infect your system or device, then once having successfully achieved access they will message their target and demand a fee on the promise they will give a ‘decryption key’ to regain access to the system.
The cyber criminals use threats to force the hand of the business owner; quite often they threat the deletion and distribution of that sensitive data should you choose not to pay. Which is exactly the course of action you should take anyway – don’t pay the attackers! Cyber criminals are criminals none the less! Just because they aren’t walking into your organisation with a black mask on in the middle of the night doesn’t make them any more trustworthy, as they will lie and cheat to get what they want. Do you really think that, once having done what they asked, they will just give you access back?
The only way to defence against cyber attacks is to be prepared, and preparation only comes from education: education on the risks and being alert and ready for those risks whilst simultaneously implementing the latest technical security defences.
In the following article we will take a look at the technical measures you can implement to be sure you are defending your system to the best of your ability.
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