By now, most professional organizations and employees are well aware of the threats posed by cybercriminals. However, the rate of cyber attacks are still at all time highs, with companies reporting higher-than-ever rates of phishing and social engineering attacks. It can be tremendously difficult to predict how a cyber threat might strike your company, but there are a few common entry points cyber criminals use to gain access to networks and devices.
Cyber security concerns are particularly magnified in the current climate due to the work-from-home shift experienced by companies during COVID-19.
The first step to being able to combat potential cyber attacks is having a knowledge base on how these cyber criminals gain access to networks and systems. Let’s take a closer look at the 3 types of cyber attacks small businesses need to be aware of.
Phishing – Attachments and Links
Phishing is a cybercrime in which an individual or company is contacted by email, telephone or text message by someone posing as a legitimate organization or person to lure victims into providing personal, private data such as addresses, banking and credit card details, passwords and even social security numbers.. Cybercriminals have been using different variations of phishing techniques for decades, possibly since as early as 1995.
While phishing is an extremely well known type of cyber attack, criminals still find some success in the practice. And, with the rise of automated technologies, cyber criminals are getting more efficient than ever in sending out these phishing communications in mass quantities. Phishing is the most direct entry point for cyber criminals, since they receive the private data directly from the source.
Hardware Additions and Supply Chain Compromise
One unsettling way cyber criminals gain access into our systems is by exploiting the vulnerabilities in hardware-manufacturing supply chains. The complexity within the process of building and installing all the components in a piece of hardware makes vulnerabilities particularly challenging to detect. WeForum.org explains how cyber criminals and their associates can doctor hardware in ways that are tremendously challenging to detect,
“Physical modifications to a single integrated circuit can be well hidden among the sheer number of valid components, and can function undetected for a long time. A well-designed hardware vulnerability could therefore go undetected until well after the malicious hardware has been widely incorporated into critical infrastructure.” With malicious hardware being incorporated directly into infrastructure, cyber criminals will know exactly where your systems vulnerability lies.
Botnet Attacks
Let’s first address the most relevant question you have about Botnet attacks: What are they?
Techopedia defines a botnet as “a group of computers connected in a coordinated fashion for malicious purposes. Each computer in a botnet is called a bot. These bots form a network of compromised computers, which is controlled by a third party and used to transmit malware or spam, or to launch attacks.”
Botnet attacks come in many different forms, a few of which we’ve already mentioned in this article. The most common Botnet attacks are financial breaches, DDoS attacks, and email spam.
43% of cyber attacks target small businesses. 60% of small businesses that are victims of a cyber attack go out of business within six months. This means small businesses absolutely cannot take risks when it comes to their cyber security.
Contact M&H Consulting today for an audit of the current state of your company’s cyber security defense measures.
Categorised in: data breach, disaster recovery, employee issues, hacking, hardware, IT Consulting Services