Is Your Business Safe Against Cyber Attack? Lets try to Find Out
In today’s world, protecting your business from cybercriminals is very critical. Every day, new cyber risks emerge. Hackers are continuously on the lookout for new methods to exploit both individuals and organizations. Many cyber-attacks can destroy any company in split second.
Before we begin, we first need to understand what is a cybersecurity threat?
A cybersecurity threat is a threat of malicious attack by an individual or organization to obtain unauthorized access to any individual’s or organization’s network to harm, disrupt IT assets, networks, or steal confidential information.
Before we move on to the sources of cyberattacks, let’s try to understand some of the common types of cyber threats. A brief description of them is mentioned below.
Malware: Malware attacks are the most common and hazardous types of attacks that can infiltrate your computer simply by clicking on an anonymous link or malicious attachment that then install risky software. It is a common term used to classify malicious software such as spyware, ransomware, viruses, and worms. Malware usually can block access to critical network components, collect & send sensitive data to a third-party location, infiltrate other infrastructure, and cause catastrophic damages to an organization by disabling their critical IT components.
Ransomware is one of the fastest-growing menaces in cyber security. Ransomware is a type of malware that encrypts data and holds it hostage for a ransom. A person’s or organization’s essential data is encrypted, making it impossible to access files, databases, or apps. To gain access, a ransom is demanded.
Phishing: Phishing is the method of sending fraudulent communications that seem to come from a reputable source. In this, users are tricked into providing confidential information or installing malicious software in their system by impersonating genuine websites or emails. It is one of the increasing & common methods of cyber-attacks.
Man in the middle attack: As the name implies, the hacker intercepts a communication between two parties and redirects traffic to different destination IP addresses pointing to the malicious destination.
Denial of service attack: A Denial of Service attack aims to overwhelm systems, networks, or servers with traffic, preventing them from fulfilling genuine requests. To initiate an attack on the target system, attackers can also use multiple compromised devices. This is known as a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack.
SQL Injection: SQL injection attack happens when the attacker interferes with the application queries that interact with databases. It is done via uploading malicious SQL scripts and once done, it can result in unauthorized access to sensitive data, such as passwords, credit card details, or any other confidential information.
Different kinds of threats arise every day and to beat out hackers and save your business, you must be aware of the common origins of these cyberattacks. We have listed some of the common sources of cyber-attacks for your understanding.
Criminal Groups: Criminal groups execute cyber-attacks mainly for financial gains, either making a profit by stealing trade secrets, blackmailing for confidential information, or attacking competitors’ infrastructure to cause the inability of smooth functioning of the business.
Terrorist Groups: Terrorist groups aim to execute cyberattacks on critical infrastructure or defense systems of a victim nation to cause concerns related to national security, compromise various weapons, or cause mass casualties.
Hacktivists: One of the common reasons for hacktivists to perform cyber-attacks is to spread political propaganda. They typically target organizations or groups that they feel don’t align with their agenda.
Hostile Nation States: Cyberattacks initiated by a nation to weaken or destroy another nation falls under this category. Attacks could be done on the infrastructure, military, private sectors, or communications.
Hackers: Hackers explore various cyber techniques and vulnerabilities to exploit in a computer system or network. It may be due to personal gains, revenge, challenge, or to prove supremacy from other hackers.
Insider Threats: Insider threats are users who have legitimate access to company assets and use that access to cause harm to the company, whether maliciously or accidentally. It’s critical to understand that insider dangers aren’t always present in company employees. They could also be ex-employees, contractors, or partners with access to an organization’s network or sensitive data.
All the before mentioned reasons for cyberattacks were due to external factors but in reality, there may be many insider threats that are way more dangerous than the others.
By now, we hope you have a better understanding of the common types of cyberattacks and their origins. Let us discuss some of the basic steps to prevent these attacks
Implement Zero-Trust Architecture: The basic principle that zero-trust architecture follows is “never trust, always verify”. It has become a very important part of any organization’s cyber security strategy and implementation because the age-old belief of trusting all devices that are part of an organization’s internal network allows attackers to move and compromise other devices using unrestricted access by lateral movement. The need of implementing zero-trust architecture has never been more critical.
Educate the staff: Human resource is the first line of defense for any organization. If you want to safeguard your company from breaches, then the first step is to educate your staff. Security is not only the IT team’s responsibility rather it is of every employee. Ongoing information security training is and will remain critical in the future, and leaders who instill the idea that every function is responsible for knowing cybersecurity threats will be able to build more robust and successful cyber security strategies.
Use strong authentication
Controls such as using complex passwords, enforcing a change of password at a defined frequency, and screening passwords against commonly used passwords or multi-factor authentication can help safeguard the infrastructure and prevent cyberattacks. Wherever feasible, use MFA to prevent compromise of your accounts.
Use Anti-Malware Protection
It is very important to use enterprise-level, anti-malware software with the latest virus definitions. The organization must enable the real-time scan feature of AV & run periodic (at least weekly) full scans on systems to detect & remediate any infection. If possible, rather than standard VA, organizations should opt for an advanced EDR solution, which offers deep visibility, comprehensive detection & effective remediation to modern-day threats.
Effective Patch Management
It is necessary to maintain & update all security patches related to the operating system & third-party software installed in your devices, as soon as they are made available by the manufacturer/OEM. Unpatched devices can increase the risk of compromise in a cyberattack.
Conclusion
So, we hope that now you are well versed with the threats and trends that you have to tackle. The only solution against ever-growing cyber threats is a preventive cyber security strategy. If you are planning to find out what needs to be done, then hire a cyber security expert and let them help you out. The best way to prepare a comprehensive cyber security strategy is to hire a top cyber security consultant and enjoy the benefit of a secure and safe business.