You’d be wise to be increasingly wary of cyber threats! Between 2010 and 2014 successful cyber attacks on businesses of all sizes increased by 144%. To make matters worse according to the National Cyber Security Alliance approximately 60% of businesses who experience a loss due to a security breach go out of business within six months. Now, a new report from the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and National Crime Agency (NCA) says that cyber-threat to UK businesses is ‘significant and growing.’
According to the report, any device that contains personal data, including photographs, could potentially be targeted by cyber-criminals looking for sensitive information. That means smartphones, watches and even fitness trackers could be hacked. The report reads “In 2017 it is likely that ransomware will target connected devices containing personal data such as photos, emails, and even fitness progress information. This data may not be inherently valuable, and might not be sold on criminal forums but the device and data will be sufficiently valuable to the victim that they will be willing to pay for it.”
Are you aware of the cyber-threats that your business faces?
Worldwide we now send over 100 billion emails a day and store more and more of our data online. You need to be aware of the kind of threats your business is facing.
Spam email
Spam emails are becoming increasingly sophisticated and can sometimes be very difficult to spot. Often the emails will masquerade as a trusted company such as Paypal and will encourage you to follow a link onto a website or enter private details. By following the link or the instructions in the email you’ll be handing your personal information over to criminals and potentially downloading malware onto your computer, giving attackers access to your systems.
Targeted emails
In recent times when most of us are on LinkedIn it can be remarkably easy for attackers to work out the structure of an organisation. They will then send emails to your staff from a familiar, often powerful name asking them for sensitive data. Snapchat suffered from this kind of scam last year when a member of their staff responded to an email request from someone claiming to be their boss causing confidential emails to be leaked.
Ransomware
Viruses are emailed to you via PDF or Word attachments. When you click on the attachments they encrypt your files so you are unable to access them, before demanding payment.
Business Extortion
Business Extortion focuses on the business as a whole rather than the computer system. A call or email will be received informing you that you will be subject to a ‘reputational attack.’ This means unless a payment is made the criminal will launch an attack on your business’ reputation. Clearly this can be particularly troubling for businesses who rely on reviews such as restaurants.
The best way to protect your business from cybercrime is through education. Ensure that you and your staff are aware are of the threats so they don’t fall into traps laid by criminals. Backing up your data is also important in order to keep it safe.