The importance of cyber awareness is most important given our regular use and reliance on the internet. From simple everyday tasks to more complex and larger roles and responsibilities, everything is now moving online. Businesses also make use of the internet to connect with their clients and offer their services.
Users are asked to provide sensitive information like their ID numbers, banking information etc. on these online portals on a regular basis. As a business, it is your responsibility to ensure security for every stakeholder involved. Businesses have to ensure:
- A stable and convenient communication stream
- Flawless and hassle free execution of tasks
- Storing user information
- Protecting user information
- A strong defense against cyber attacks and threats against all business resources.
We can clearly see a rising trend in the use of technology. But as technology progresses, the risk and advancement of cybersecurity threats is also on the rise. Cyber criminals are also evolving, coming up with better and hard to detect means of sabotaging cyber security protocols. Defense seems to be getting more complex and hard however, the frequency and damage caused by these attacks is also increasing. Thus businesses have to be serious and realize the importance of cybersecurity.
Different Types of Cyber-Attacks:
There are a lot of different types of cyber attacks but the most common ones are:
Denial Of Service:
The denial of service attack, as indicated by the name, blocks the access to networks, services or applications. This attack works by occupying these resources so they are exhausted. As a result, when legitimate users try to access these resources, they are unable to do so.
Malware:
Malware such as viruses, trojan horses and worms etc. are used to infect the systems. The malware is shared via emails or external memory devices. These are programs that start running in the background of your system without you even realizing. As a result, the user barely even realizes that his system has been hijacked and the security is now compromised.
Botnets & Zombies:
Botnets are developed with the intention of stealing data from a system. These programs are also hard to detect and can easily infect a computer and lead to data theft and other serious security issues. The botnet eventually creates a network of all the compromised computers, known as zombies. The botnet acts as a controller and therefore takes over the control of all the zombie computers.
Scareware:
Scareware is also known as fake security warning. How a scareware works is basically the users are notified via popup that their system is at risk and has been attacked. To protect their system, they should install a “program” that will help them overcome the issue and ensure that their data is protected. This tricks the users into downloading the program. At times, the program endorsed is free but some scareware also makes the users pay a small amount of money to install the program. Users are under the impression that they have downloaded an anti-virus software but in reality, the software is the encoded program that is used to hijack their system.
Cyber Security Measures For Businesses:
There is a general misconception that only large scale businesses have to be concerned about cyber security. Although more established businesses face larger implications when at risk of a cyber attack, the small to medium scale businesses cannot put the importance of cyber security in 2020 behind their backs.
It is integral that all businesses, big or small, are aware of cyber security measures that can help them deal with cyber attacks and related attempts. Here are some precautions and practices that can help you tackle cyber attack issues:
1. Using Anti-Virus Software:
Make sure that all systems have a reputable and trustworthy anti-virus software installed in them. However, it is important to note that merely installing an antivirus software is not enough. Train the employees and remind them to scan their systems on a regular basis. The anti-virus softwares is quite efficient and therefore will catch most of the malware attacks. However, malware is also developing and advancing at a rapid rate. Therefore, at times the software is unable to detect it. Ensure that the anti-virus software that is being used is updated regularly so you can guarantee a strong defense against any unsolicited attack attempts.
2. Keeping Strong Passwords:
One of the most commonly committed mistakes that lead to successful cyber attacks is being negligent related to passwords. When setting up passwords make sure that they are hard to guess. Avoid setting obvious passwords. It is recommended that the passwords selected are a combination of alphabets (both uppercase and lowercase), numbers as well as symbols. Other than selecting strong passwords, you should also keep changing the passwords after a couple of months. This will help you ensure a strong defense against cyber security issues.
3. Hiring Reputable Cyber Security Companies:
There are plenty of best cybersecurity companies like Okratech that offer cybersecurity services for their clients. These are renowned and trained professionals that specialize in cyber security protocols. They are well aware of cyber attacks as well as the tried and tested mechanisms to stand strong against them. Therefore, you can be sure that your business is safe and the risk of compromise on the business’s security is reduced to nothing when such companies and service providers are taken on board.
However, it is important that you only trust the best services like AllSafeIT for these responsibilities. If you end up hiring the wrong service provider, it will not only do more harm than good but will also rip you of your valuable time and money.
4. Data Backup:
Backing up the data is extremely important for businesses irrespective of their scope. Make sure that you backup the data on a regular basis. This way, even if a storage location is compromised and data is stolen, you will still have a copy at the backend that can be recovered. Make sure that the data backup is stored in a remote location. Making use of a cloud based data storage location is extremely important. Cloud storage has a tougher security mechanism which is hard to hack through. Therefore, you can be certain that the data is safe. Accessibility and easy availability are also some perks associated with making use of cloud storage solutions.
5. Prepare A Disaster Management Plan:
Businesses can put in efforts to safeguard their data and resources. But as already mentioned malware developers and hackers are also learning and growing day by day. Therefore, their ways of attacking systems and resources are also changing and evolving. At times, no matter how much the business tries to get around and prevent cyber attacks, they can still be a prey to these attempts.
Therefore, it is important that your business has a disaster management plan. The disaster management plan will serve as a blueprint that will help you recover from the damage and mitigate the effects of the cyber attack as much as possible.