One of the most common threats facing businesses today is cyber-based, and this can be seen in the fact that there are an average of 2,200 cybersecurity incidents happening every single day. As technology advances, so does the potential to use it for harm. Furthermore, the expansion of the internet of things in both scope and sophistication makes it an increasingly attractive target for the attacks of cybercriminals.
The United States is one of the most highly targeted countries, and as threats increase in severity and frequency, more and more people are seeing the need to prepare for and prevent such attacks as best as possible. A key to such preparation and prevention is knowledge: forewarned is forearmed.
In the following information, we will consider four different forms of cyberattack, an example of each, and the steps that can be taken to prevent them.
Malware
The Definition: Malware is the broad term for viruses, spyware, or other dangerous software that is used to steal data and corrupt systems. Malware poses one of the biggest external threats to systems, and it can cause widespread damage and disruption, which takes huge effort and expense to recover from.
The Example: Spyware is an example of malicious software. This attack involves the collection of a user’s data and activity information without their knowledge. It gathers sensitive information like passwords and payment information, which is then sent to third parties for profit.
The Prevention: Caution is needed when using the internet, so it’s important to use pop-up blockers and keep systems up to date. Think before you absent-mindedly consent to website cookies and be wary of free software.
Trojan Horse Viruses
The Definition: A trojan horse virus disguises itself as a harmless and desirable code and software. They can be hidden in games, apps, or even software patches, and they sneak into a system without detection before taking control of the system for malicious purposes. They may delete or encrypt files or even share important data with other parties.
The Example: A trojan horse virus example is that of a downloader trojan. These viruses corrupt a device by downloading additional content onto it. This could be even more pieces of malware, acting like a disease that continues to develop and spread.
The Prevention: Make use of a strong anti-malware application and scan any external storage devices using anti-malware software before you plug it into your system. Be careful about the messages you open and the links you click on, and keep operating systems up to date.
Phishing
The Definition: These are some of the most subtle and most successful attacks. A fraudulent message that looks convincingly legitimate in many cases is sent to various recipients in the hope that they will provide sensitive information such as password credentials or banking information. Phishing attacks increased by a staggering 48 percent within the first six months of 2022. Reportedly there were 11,395 incidents that added up to a total cost of 12.3 million dollars for businesses.
The Example: A common example of phishing is an email or message you get from someone claiming to be an official representative of a legitimate company who asks you to respond to a warning about your account information. They may use that element of panic to follow a link to a fake website where you will be asked to clarify your information in order to protect it. While the website may look like the real deal, the information you enter will go straight to the cybercriminal behind the attack.
The Prevention: Phishing is such a common and deadly form of cyber threat the FBI created an information packet on how to prevent such attacks. Remember that most companies won’t ask for your personal information. If in doubt, use the number from their original website to clarify. Use a phishing filter through your web browser, and never click a link directly. Enter the URL manually instead.
Ransomware
The Definition: In this kind of attack, data is breached and stolen and is held for ransom. The criminals will only release the data upon payment of the ransom fee. In many cases, the data is usually leaked to the dark web anyway, even if the ransom is paid.
Ransomware attacks increased by a worrying 41 percent in 2022. Even more worrying is the fact that it took 49 days longer to identify and remedy ransomware breaches than the average breach. Ransomware is looking to become an increasingly frequent and severe problem for businesses.
The Example: DarkSide is a well-known ransomware associated with the eCrime group CARBON SPIDER. While traditionally, this ransomware focused on Windows machines, they have recently expanded to victimising Linux machines too. They have targeted large enterprises. Recently, the organisation Colonial Pipeline had to pay a ransom of almost 5 million dollars for the 100GB of data that the ransomware stole.
The Prevention: A lot of the prevention of ransomware attacks, as with other cyber threats, is in the education of users. Employees need to be trained on how to spot and stop ransomware attacks and strong information security controls also need to be put in place. Plan ahead as to how you will deal with incidents as a business, as there is a lot involved in the recovery from a ransomware attack.
Knowledge is Power
As is evident through this examination of just a few forms of cyber threats, knowledge is key when it comes to preventing them. Besides the software you can install to improve your firewalls and defenses, as a business, it is also important that you take the initiative to thoroughly train your staff to be able to identify, handle and report any cyber threats they may face.
Don’t assume that they know how, but work with them to do so. Also, it’s good to be realistic and put plans in place on how you will handle attacks if they do get through your defenses. By arming yourself with strong firewalls and empowering knowledge, you can win the fight against cyber threats!
