Common cyber security threats and their impact on businesses
Ransomware attacks rose up by as much as 114% last year in 2014. Cyberspace is not as safe as it seems. Cybercrime is common and instances of data theft are in the plenty. Unfortunately, it is not just computers that are susceptible to attacks but also portable devices like smartphones.
The Threats
Businesses need to be aware of the different cyber threats around them, to prepare a competent strategy to thwart off the attacks.
1) Viruses
They are everywhere and without a proper anti virus system, you are more than likely to have all your files get infected, losing important data or just making them readily available to hackers. Viruses often come as email attachments, and the report by Kaspersky of the first quarter of 2015 states how Trojan-Banker.Win32.ChePro.ink was distributed commonly in mails by spammers.
2) Malware
Malware is one of the most common types of cyber security threats. They can easily infect devices and also spread to computers on the same network by attaching themselves to user created files. One of the biggest carriers of malware is the humble pen drive. Pen drives can easily be host to a range of malware and they can spread from computer to computer as soon as they are plugged in.
3) Ransomware and Phishing
Hackers take hold of your data and then demand money for you to retrieve it. Ransomware can mean that your entire data is compromised and sometimes, the only way to access your device without losing the data on it, is well, to pay the hackers. Phishing, another common cyber threat, is how hackers take away your data to them without you even knowing about it. Phishing occurs silently and you would never even know that hackers are stealing away your data.
4) The users themselves
There are many users who are new to modern devices and not having the knowhow about cyber security can cause them to be a little careless in their usage and they might end up letting exploits take place. Sometimes users take things for granted and do not take measures to keep their data protected from cyber-attacks.
5) Human error
Sometimes we end up letting cyber-attacks take place due to silly mistakes. We might end up clicking malicious links without intending to or end up downloading a fake app that is actually malware.
