Hackers, unfortunately, never stop working. They are continually developing new threats and planning new ways to infiltrate businesses. Estimates suggest four to five cyberattacks occur somewhere around the globe each minute.
Many businesses have not yet fully recognised this risk. Experts suggest leaders should consider the following four realities when deciding how to prioritise cybersecurity.
All organisations are at risk
All modern organisations, large or small, are in some way connected to the internet, whether it be via a VOIP telephone connection, payment system, website, computerised database, or email. Even if only one of these connections is in place, your organisation may be seriously disrupted by a cyberattack, leading to loss of sales and profit.
Phishing is now the biggest cyberthreat
Although viruses or malicious software (ransomware, spyware, and other malware) receive a lot of coverage by the press, they are no longer the biggest cyberthreat. That sobriquet now belongs to phishing. Phishing attacks occur when hackers attempt to illegally obtain private data using deceptive emails or websites.
The hackers spend hours and hours replicating the unique template used by an organisation for its emails. They use a carefully-worded template to send emails to fool people into disclosing confidential information.
In extreme cases, hackers spend weeks building fake websites hoping to fool people into thinking they are entering personal data into the genuine website of the target organisation.
Some cyber breaches occur due to lax protocols
A notable number of cyber breaches are easily preventable because they occur due to hopelessly inadequate security procedures. The 2018 data leak at Uber was a glaring case of lax security protocols. Hackers accessed customer data stored off-site, a breach that could have been prevented simply by checking who was able to access the data.
Employee training is essential to combat cyberthreats
Successful phishing reflects the failure of a human, not technology. Building secure firewalls, installing the latest antivirus software, and regularly updating software with new security patches are all necessary. Business leaders should consider their employees as the top priority in the fight against cyberattacks. Businesses must provide regular training for employees to allow them to identify and respond to cyberthreats.
The next step
For IT support services Cairns businesses can rely on, contact Computerman today. We can help businesses with a range of services connected to cybersecurity including virus removal, cloud migration and network setup.
