The Big Cyber Security Threats That You Can Prepare For

No organisation can really consider itself safe in the online world. As cyber criminals increasingly rely on sophisticated technologies, many organisations justifiably feel vulnerable as their confidential data and critical assets fall prey to malicious attacks. 

As well as causing severe financial damage, cyber attacks can lead to regulatory penalties, lawsuits, reputational damage, and business continuity disruptions.

Furthermore, the rapid adoption of emerging technologies, including AI, the Internet of Things (IoT), and cloud computing, have added new cyber threats for organisations while adding complexity to existing risks.

Training is one of the best ways to stay protected. It helps you prepare for the worst, so you won't be overwhelmed when hackers attack.  This summary guide to five of the most common types of cyber security threats your organisation may have to dela with:

Phishing    

This is the most common type of cyber security threat. In particular, spear-phishing is a trick in which criminals pretend to be someone else to get your guard down. They often pretend to be your boss or a leading figure in your company so they can manipulate you into sharing passwords, sending money, clicking on malicious links and more.  Spear phishing attacks use your respect for people or companies to infect your devices or steal personal information.

How to protect yourself: Watch out for spelling and grammar mistakes, along with any messages that give you a sense of urgency. Don't click on links or download attachments that you receive in unsolicited emails. 
Keep your software and devices updated, use 2FA and a VPN. If you receive an unusual request through email, check with the person who allegedly sent it to ensure it’s real.

Identity Theft    

Identity theft is when cybercriminals collect enough private data to impersonate you convincingly. They use information like your name, birth date, email address and anything else they can scrape from social media. They can commit identity theft by opening new bank accounts, applying for loans or even claiming tax refunds in your name. Criminals can destroy your credit score or even commit crimes in your name. They can take over your online accounts by changing your password

How to protect yourself: Update your software and gadgets with the latest patches. Use strong and unique passwords for your online accounts. Stop oversharing personal information on social media.

Facial Recognition Technology

This is seldom considered a high priority cyber security threats, but it can be very serious. Facial recognition is a form of biometrics, and refers to how we use our body to verify our identity. For example, your iPhone may need to scan your face before being unlocked. If hackers expose your password, you can change it, but you can’t change your face. This presents a wide range of new opportunities for identity thieves. Imagine if they steal pictures of your face from social media and use them to get into your online accounts.

How to protect yourself: If you want to avoid this, opt out of any facial recognition verification options you see. Instead, use PINs, passwords or 2FA to authenticate your identity. Keep your face private and don’t volunteer it to any organisation that may share it with partners.

Spyware 

Spyware hides on your devices, collecting your location, passwords, text messages, emails and credit card information. Even worse, spyware can download and install more malware onto your device. You’ll be none the wiser until your gadget is slower and hotter than ever before. Spyware violates your privacy, and you might not even know it’s on your phone, computer or tablet. It can stream you from your PV camera or microphone

Perhaps the best know form of spyware is the Pegasus Software tool, which has played a well-publicised role in a several spying campaigns where government and law enforcement agencies around the world are alleged to have  used Pegasus spyware to eavesdrop on political opponents. 

How to protect yourself: If you think there’s spyware on your device, follow these three steps. First, back up your data. Second, erase your device. Third, reset it.

Denial of Service Attacks (DDoS)

This type of attack overloads a system by sending thousands of small data packets in a short period of time. It’s easy to do: Criminals just rig a computer to ping messages until they overload a site’s servers. This shuts websites down. If someone overloads a server, the website will shut down. Visitors won’t be able to access it. This is devastating if you rely on a site for your small business.

How to protect yourself: Protect your router by changing the default passwords and update your software and firmware regularly.

Other Cyber Risks 

Ransomware: This is a form of malware (malicious software) that attempts to encrypt (scramble) your data and then extort a ransom to release an unlock code. Most ransomware is delivered via malicious emails. Employee training is critical and staff should be wary of unsolicited emails, particularly those that ask for a prompt response. 

Hacking:   Gaining access to IT systems from outside an organisation is the jackpot for criminals. Traditionally they have attempted to gain access to bank account information or credit card databases. Intellectual property is also source of value that need protection 

Social Engineering:   The use of social engineering, tricking staff into revealing usernames and passwords, is a threat similar to phishing which can be mitigated by good training and Zero Trust network access policies. 

Rogue Employees:   Another source for cyber security threats are rogue employees. A disgruntled employee may want to steal data or information in revenge against their employer and ex-employee may leave with steal sensitive corporate data which can be exploited by cyber criminals.  

Conclusion

Cyber security is an essential consideration in our modern digital world. With so much of our personal information available at the click of a button, there are always cyber risks to be wary of. However, by knowing about the cyber security threats and how to deal with them, you can give yourself the best chance of keeping your data safe. 
And as the world moves closer to a digital environment there are more types of cyber security threats that are changing and becoming more sophisticated.

This is an increasing problem which means that you and your team and the whole of your organisation's employees must experience frequent training to increase their awareness of the risks of potential attacks.

For help and advice on training, contact Cyber Security Intelligence and we can recommend the right training service supplier for your organisation. 

NCSC:      ICAEW:      Komando:     IT Governance:    FutureLearn:     StealthLabs:     veeAM: 

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