There’s no doubt that cyber security is a big threat for businesses today. One of the issues businesses of all sizes are faced with is the fact that once they get a handle on one type of threat, another security concern takes its place. While the goal of any company is to create an all-encompassing plan that will cover all the threats, it does help to stay current on the subject since it can help companies create effective strategies on how to handle them.
However, to accurately prevent these threats, it helps to define what they are. Keep in mind that all the standard threats still exist, such as malware, phishing, and viruses, and businesses should plan accordingly. However, there are some that have become more common. Here is a look at some of the top cyber security concerns that businesses may face in 2017:
Internal Threats
These days, businesses shouldn’t only be concerned about cyber security breaches that come into the company from the outside. Currently, most businesses seem to focus on preventing hackers from getting into the network from the outside. As it becomes harder for them to breach the networks from the outside, they tend to explore options that will enable them to breach systems from the inside.
To do this, hackers often attempt to manipulate employees, often by blackmailing them. Other internal threats to be concerned with include internal espionage and even CEO fraud, which is where hackers emulate the CEO and upper level management as a way to gain information. Note that most of these threats can be prevented through adequate employee education.
Ransomware
Although ransomware has been around for some time, it has increased in its frequency over the past few years. Ransomware is defined as a type of security breach where a malicious piece of software, or malware, embeds itself into a computer system and blocks users from accessing it. The cyber criminals responsible for this type of security threat offer to unblock the system as long as a sum of money is paid.
Once a company is infected with ransomware, it can be difficult to reverse the damage. The FBI doesn’t advise paying the ransom, but they do admit that these cyber criminals are difficult to catch. From a business’s perspective, even if access to the system is restored, the loss of revenue could be devastating. Besides creating an extensive plan that would protect the system backups from the threat of ransomare, it is important to educate employees on how to prevent a ransomware attack in the first place.
Because cyber criminals are becoming increasingly more aggressive, it is important that businesses not only understand the threats, implement a cyber security plan that will fully protect the business. This not only includes the standard measures such as firewalls, virus and malware protection software, and a solid data backup plan, but also making sure that employees are fully educated on the risks and what to do about them. Contact Roan Solutions for more information on how to do that.
