Lurking Cyberthreats (and How to Defend Against Them)
Every day it seems there’s a news release that millions of people just had their personal data harvested in a global cyber attack. Yahoo’s attack affected 3 billion customers, Equifax hit 150 million people, Adult Friend Finder affected a staggering 412 million. In 2017 alone, damages from cyber attacks cost $5 billion. That’s 15 times the cost of the year before. The sad truth is that it’s only going to get worse.
When it comes to network security, you need to have those statistics in the back of your mind. Because the truth of the matter is that when a cyberattack occurs, you are looking down the barrel of not only a material loss but also a reputational loss.
What hope can you have when cyberthreats are lurking, perpetually hunting for vulnerabilities in your business network security? How can you combat the unexpected? The answer is in cybersecurity defense layers.
Here are the top cyberthreats to your business and how to defend against them.
Related: The Best Practices for Data Backup
Phishing Attacks
Phishing attacks are cyberthreats that have social engineering mechanisms as the “hook.” This could be an email that looks similar to a vendor you use, saying your password will expire. A phishing email could also appear to be sent by one of your friends, with a link promising “You’ll find this interesting.”
The unfortunate part of this attack is that one person’s careless click can open up your entire business to hackers.
Defense: User Awareness Training
The only true defense for network security against a phishing attack is user awareness training. When everyone on your staff can spot a phishing email (or is at least suspicious), you’ve effectively guarded yourself against phishing attacks.
Ransomware
Ransomware is malicious software that holds your network hostage until you pay some sort of ransom to return it to you. Depending on the sensitivity of the information, public release could also be part of the threat.
Did you know? The average ransom demand has risen to $1,077. – Symantec
While ransomware as a cyberattack is on the decline, due in some part to the rise in cryptocurrency, you don’t want to get caught on its way down.
Defense: Firewalls, Antivirus
A solid firewall system and antivirus program can help you block the onslaught of ransomware at the perimeter of your network security.
Infected Ads
Malware-infected ads, or malvertising, is when a corrupted ad infects your computer. This can happen even without clicking on the ad itself. You can easily be redirected to a malicious site no matter how real the ad looks.
Defense: Ad Blockers, Antivirus
Whatever other network security tools you have, good antivirus software is essential in business to protect your data from these bad ads. You may also want to deploy ad blockers as well, depending on necessity.
Related: The Top 5 Reasons You Need Managed Security Services
Worms and Other Malware
Worms and other malware can cause all sorts of problems to a network. By replicating itself, the infectious code can spread causing anything from slow bandwidth to total system shutdown.
Defense: Software Updates, Antivirus
Updates are often overlooked by many organizations. But these pesky updates often patch newly detected vulnerabilities in software. Keep your software up-to-date to avoid easy traps. (Cloud-based software is particularly good at keeping you on the latest version.)
Contact us to learn more about managed security.
