Cyber security is one of the most critical aspects of the internet. It is an entire field that has grown rapidly in recent years, with more people getting connected online. Cyber security threats create havoc for millions of people every day and can affect any business, big or small. Cybercriminals are employing innovative ways to carry out their plans. From social media scams to spear phishing, there is no shortage of cyberattacks. Multiple opportunities are now open for cybercriminals to enter your network and steal your critical data. Here are four major cyber security threats faced by businesses today and how you can stop them.
- DDoS
A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack attempts to make a machine or network resource unavailable to its intended users. There are many different DDoS attacks, but one of the most common is the flooding of packets with unwanted traffic. DoS attacks are often launched to overwhelm the target machine or network resource with data, often to exhaust the computing time or bandwidth of the resource. DDoS attacks are carried out by hacking into computers, routers or other devices across the internet. Hackers then use these computers, routers or other devices to send requests to the target’s servers, using up a huge proportion of the server’s resources. DDoS attacks can have a dramatic effect on your business. A DDoS attack can crash or freeze a website, phone system, or network, causing hours of downtime.
Although many IT professionals can help prevent and deal with DDoS attacks, a degree in cyber security can offer a more holistic approach. Your company can offer to pay for an online masters in cyber security to enhance your IT team’s skills or hire someone with this qualification to combat this type of attack.
- Phishing
Phishing is a way of tricking people into giving up passwords or credit card numbers by pretending to be a website they know and trust. It works because the phishers are clever and persistent and because the victims are sloppy. It is the practice of sending e-mails, usually to large numbers of people who appear to be from a legitimate business or trusted institution, but serves to trick the recipient into disclosing sensitive information such as usernames, passwords, and credit card details. The attacker then uses this information to commit fraud against the organization.
Phishing emails can be very convincing. They are often sent with malicious links that take users to sites that steal passwords or other personal information. Phishing attacks usually go undetected by antivirus software, and users may not even realize that they are handing out important information. The good news is that having a strong email security gateway can detect suspicious links in email messages. It also can block emails that contain malware attachments. As a best practice, it is a good idea to train your employees against phishing. The security awareness training helps your team recognize and report phishing attacks by testing their knowledge and encouraging them to be vigilant to protect themselves from data breaches.
- Ransomware
Ransomware attacks are on the rise, resulting in losses of money, time, and data. These attacks have proven highly profitable for cybercriminals, who demand payments through anonymous means like cryptocurrency to return access to a company’s encrypted data. Ransomware is a type of malicious software that takes control of a user’s files and ransoms them back to the owner. The user then has limited time to pay a ransom before the data is lost forever. Typically, a ransomware attack begins when a victim receives a phishing email. They click the link included in that email and inadvertently download malicious software, which locks down the system.
The best bet for businesses is to be prepared and have a solid plan to keep data safe and guard it against ransomware attacks. Most enterprises use antivirus software and set up a reliable cloud data backup solution. Ensuring that your data is backed up and recoverable from a cloud system is one of the most important actions you can take to protect yourself from a ransomware attack. By having a backup of your data on a cloud platform, you never need to pay ransom to criminals. Must use computer security policy to ensure that your data is safe on your device.
- MITM
A MITM attack occurs when an attacker can intercept and read communications between two parties without their knowledge. In a MITM attack, an attacker can read or even alter what you send before it gets to the person you are sending the message to. So, before you enter any sensitive information, you should make sure that the environment is safe. You need to log in from a ‘trusted’ device and use a secure connection. You also need to do all these things for your Internet communications, and the first step is to encrypt them using a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPNs use a public and private key system to encrypt your computer’s traffic, routing it through servers you control. You set up an account with a VPN provider. They give out a public key for your device. After that, you generate a secret key of your own and encrypt data using the device’s private key, keeping the public-key encrypted. Moreover, set diverse and complex passwords for your wi-fi network and regularly update your web browsers.
Final Thoughts
Cyber security is a notoriously tricky industry to navigate. It is worth thinking about, however, as cyber security breaches can be devastating for businesses and individuals alike. By knowing about the risks and how to avoid them, you can avoid dealing with hackers. Not only that, knowing how these cyber threats work can keep you safe all around the web.
