What are Cyber Security Threats? | System Force I.T. | Award Winning I.T. Solutions
Data breaches and hackers exploiting I.T. infrastructure weaknesses, are among the multiple cyber security threats that businesses face. If you don’t have a solid Cyber Security System in place, you’ll be an easy target for hackers.
When it comes to cyber security, having a set of standards and practices in place that can support your company and staff be more secure while working is highly advised.
Businesses are facing increasingly sophisticated and aggressive cyber security attacks. Cyber-attacks can seriously harm your systems and reputation, as well as cost you a lot of money to repair and get back online.
What are Cyber Security Threats?
A cyber security threat, also known as a cyber attack, is a criminal act committed by hackers to steal data, misuse data, or damage company systems on purpose.
Hackers will target a company’s I.T. system for a number of reasons, including pleasure, blackmail, or to cause costly disruptions.
Cyber threats can be accessed anonymously through a vulnerable system or even by trusted users within a company.
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While cyber-attacks are intended to disrupt businesses, some can have a negative influence on people’s lives and putting them in dangerous circumstances.
Types of Cyber Security Threats
With hacking becoming increasingly available to anyone, there is a range of hacks/cyber security threats that can damage a business.
The most common computer viruses are:
Malware
Malware is a type of harmful software that can destroy data or even take control of an entire I.T. infrastructure system. Malware typically enters the system once a user clicks on a malicious link or e-mail.
Once malware has infiltrated your system, it can prevent access to a wide range of vital network components and cause damage to your systems immediately.
Spyware
Spyware is a variant of malware that can track your computer’s activities, including which websites you visit, what you click on, and what you type, as well as logging vital information such as passwords.
In short, it watches your computer without your knowledge, and it can track your computer activity down to the keystrokes you type.
E-mail Phishing
Phishing is one of the most dangerous cyber risks a company can face because it is so easy to fall for.
Phishing is most commonly done through e-mail, and hackers are replicating recognised popular business e-mails to get you to click on a link carelessly.
Hackers will, for example, copy bank or Amazon customer support e-mails and replace them with harmful links that, when clicked, download malware and dangerous software onto your computer. This can then infiltrate a company’s computer infrastructure, resulting in even more serious attacks – all just from a simple misclick, or human error.
Ransomware
Ransomware is a type of malware that blocks access to a system or data until the ransom has been paid. Until the requirement is met, the data/system will remain encrypted and inaccessible.
These types of attacks can have a detrimental effect on a company’s credibility.
Trojans
This type of malware, named after the Trojan Horse in Greek mythology, tries to portray as a normal application or file, but once opened, the software begins to run malware on the device.
The trojan provides the hacker with code that allows them to gain access to your computer with the goal of stealing data, damaging your device, or creating malicious network behaviour.
Cyber Security Awareness Training | System Force I.T. | Gloucestershire’s Award-Winning I.T. Solutions
Of course, there are various dangerous cyber security threats to be aware of, but these are the most important.
We advocate implementing a good cyber security practice in your company and ensuring that all employees are on the same page when it comes to cyber security and how to stay secure when using a computer – whether they are in the office, remote workers, or in their personal lives.
Click here to read our blog on Cyber Security Awareness Training!
Cyber Threats on the Rise
The digital world is always changing, as are the numerous cyber security threats. It’s vital to stay up to date on what’s new, what’s tailored toward businesses, and to prioritise the security of your own systems.
Pandemic-related Security Attacks
The pandemic has fundamentally altered the way we work since 2020. It has been a significant challenge for I.T. companies to support businesses in working remotely, with the right tools, and assuring the minimization of any cyber threats.
The complexity of cyber threats and concerns have grown over time, as have the risks.
As employees transitioned to remote working, many were not provided with the necessary equipment, such as a business laptop or cyber security awareness training, or didn’t have an anti-spam filter for e-mail protection.
These are all huge risks when handling customer data.
Businesses should not encourage employees to use their personal devices to keep client data insecurely, with no protection and the risk of a phishing e-mail compromising that data.
Phishing Breaches
Mentioned above, phishing attacks are a type of social engineering.
The aim of a phishing e-mail attack is to:
- Convince the user into clicking a malicious link
- Threaten the user into clicking a malicious link
- Manipulate another trusted business e-mail template
- Take advantage of the user’s trust and curiosity
- Baiting scenarios
- Creating distrust
As more users are working from home, phishing e-mails are becoming more common because users aren’t cyber aware of malicious links and are clicking the e-mail without contemplating if it is actually malicious.
It’s not just at home; it’s also in the workplace. This is down to the business having cyber security awareness training for employees, to understand the risks and dangers of malware, as well as the lack of anti-spam, anti-virus, and anti-malware software to help eliminate all of these threats.
Cloud Attacks
More businesses are migrating to the cloud to ensure secure business continuity and data security, among other huge benefits.
However, more firms are being hit by cloud-based attacks as a result of:
- Cloud mis-configurations
- Vulnerable cloud apps
- Incomplete data deletion
- Mis-configurations or problems with the firewall
The cloud is a safe place to backup and store data, but it may expose a lot of vulnerabilities and dangers for hackers to exploit if misconfigured incorrectly, so having the right configurations for a cloud data storage system is critical.
Why is it important to protect from Cyber Threats?
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It is critical to safeguard yourself and your work systems. We strongly advise having numerous layers of various cyber protection to eliminate any vulnerabilities or flaws. This should include the following:
- Anti-virus
- Anti-malware
- Cyber Security Training for all employees – remote and in the workplace
- Have all I.T. systems and infrastructure properly configured
- Be Cyber Essential certified
- Have Two-factor Authentication or Multi-Factor Authentication enabled
- A secure firewall
- Creating backups
How can System Force I.T. help you?
System Force I.T. provides a variety of cybersecurity services, including anti-virus and anti-malware software, firewalls, and custom solutions, with 24/7 I.T. support.
To find out more, click here to get in contact
System Force IT provides 24/7 IT support and engineering help with all our services. Our IT infrastructure management team are responsible for the backbone of your business. Monitoring and maintaining both physical and virtual services in real-time.