How To Protect Your Company From Cyber Attacks
The computer is a tool whose invention totally revolutionized the world. For decades now, we have continued to witness paradigm shifts in global trends as a result of the computer. It changed everything – from how we communicate to how we buy and sell. The impact of the computer is undeniable; however, with the good often comes the bad. Computers have also changed how crimes are committed, giving birth to what we now call cybercrime.
Cybercrime, which is also called computer crime, is the use of a computer as a tool to carry out illegal activities. The rate of cybercrime is rising vastly, especially in the world of tech, and is estimated to cost the world 10.5 trillion dollars annually by 2025. To understand the impact of cybercrime over the past few decades, experts posit that it is bigger than the damage caused by natural disasters in a year and that it could even be more “profitable” than the global trade of all major illegal drugs combined.
Cyber Criminals take advantage of the anonymity of the internet and use a device to access personal or business information illegally. They pose a risk to any organization, especially technological and financial organizations, where the protection of sensitive information is crucial. A cyber-attack on an organization’s system could accrue costs in the form of stolen money, stolen intellectual property, destruction or restoration of data, identity theft, etc. Therefore, it goes without saying that cybercrime poses an insidious danger, and organizations require urgent intervention to protect themselves from this threat.
Types of Cybercrime
1. DDoS Attacks
Meaning Distributed Denial of Service, DDoS attacks involve multiple connected online devices that are used to overwhelm a target website with fake traffic. It is a common attack employed by cybercriminals to target network devices. In the past, DDoS attacks were treated lightly as minor inconveniences to a system, but in recent times, they are understood to be exploited by cybercriminals to perpetuate dangerous attacks in the IT industry.
In a DDoS attack, Cybercriminals exploit the normal behavior/protocols on devices and manipulate the workings of network services. Victims of these attacks will experience an interruption of at least one of their services because the attack has flooded available resources, thereby denying real users any access to that service.
2. Botnets
Meaning Bot networks; botnets refer to a network of hijacker’s devices, including personal computers, servers, and mobile devices infected with bot malware and remotely controlled by the hacker, unknown to the owner. Cybercriminals, using botnets, can access personal information stored on the computer and communications made with that computer. A Botnet attack can be very damaging because once the hacker successfully infects one device on a network, all the vulnerable devices on that network can easily be infected.
3. Identity Theft
Identity theft involves obtaining information, whether personal or financial, from another person in order to assume their identity to make transactions. Cybercriminals can commit identity theft by initiating cyber-attacks on financial institutions or their customers. Identity theft has a damaging rippling effect on individuals, institutions, and society at large.
4. Phishing
Phishing is a type of cybercrime whereby the attacker contacts the victims with the aim of obtaining sensitive information such as credit card details or login credentials. The attacker may contact the victim via phone, text, or even via email. Anybody can be a victim of phishing, and it can result in identity theft, fraud, and other cyber-attacks. When companies fall victim to phishing, it is often devastating because data that is sensitive to their operations and customer interests are compromised.
Cybercrime, which is also called computer crime, is the use of a computer as a tool to carry out illegal activities. The rate of cybercrime is rising vastly, especially in the world of tech, and is estimated to cost the world 10.5 trillion dollars annually by 2025. To understand the impact of cybercrime over the past few decades, experts posit that it is bigger than the damage caused by natural disasters in a year and that it could even be more “profitable” than the global trade of all major illegal drugs combined.
The computer is a tool whose invention totally revolutionized the world. For decades now, we have continued to witness paradigm shifts in global trends as a result of the computer. It changed everything – from how we communicate to how we buy and sell. The impact of the computer is undeniable; however, with the good often comes the bad. Computers have also changed how crimes are committed, giving birth to what we now call cybercrime.
Cybercrime, which is also called computer crime, is the use of a computer as a tool to carry out illegal activities. The rate of cybercrime is rising vastly, especially in the world of tech, and is estimated to cost the world 10.5 trillion dollars annually by 2025. To understand the impact of cybercrime over the past few decades, experts posit that it is bigger than the damage caused by natural disasters in a year and that it could even be more “profitable” than the global trade of all major illegal drugs combined.
Cyber Criminals take advantage of the anonymity of the internet and use a device to access personal or business information illegally. They pose a risk to any organization, especially technological and financial organizations, where the protection of sensitive information is crucial. A cyber-attack on an organization’s system could accrue costs in the form of stolen money, stolen intellectual property, destruction or restoration of data, identity theft, etc. Therefore, it goes without saying that cybercrime poses an insidious danger, and organizations require urgent intervention to protect themselves from this threat.
How to Protect Your Company from Cyber Attacks
1. Implement a security-centered culture
It is important to stress the importance of cybersecurity and create a security-focused culture within your organization. The first way to do this is by sensitizing your employees as they can cause a security breach unintentionally, especially when they are Ill-informed. It is important to educate them on the dangers of unsecured networks as this is often an entry point for cybercriminals.
2. Invest in Cybersecurity
Partnering with a cybersecurity firm like Quality.one is a worthwhile investment because it guarantees your company’s safety from external threats. It is not enough to just install anti-virus software and use strong passwords as your security approach. To ensure your data protection, you need a security strategy developed by a trusted cybersecurity partner like Quality.one. This strategy should include security testing such as risk assessment, security scanning, etc.
3. Protect your hardware
Any loss of or damage to your hardware is a threat to your company data. Hence, it is important to protect them. You can protect your hardware first by ensuring they are positioned in a space and way that is not easily accessible to intruders and is protected as much as possible from water or fire. Also, it is important to protect your devices with a complicated password shared only with the device user and to install a “find my device” software on all devices to enable easy tracking in case of any theft.
4. Encrypt and backup data
In simple terms, encrypting your data means to encode the information by converting a representation of the original text (plaintext) into a cypher text. Because only authorized parties can decipher a cypher text back to plaintext, it is an important aspect of cybersecurity. Data encryption renders data in the hands of criminals useless. In addition to data encryption, backing up your data is vital in case of data loss.
Cybersecurity with Quality.one
With Quality.one, you can discover any loophole in your systems and fix it in no time. We understand that cybersecurity is invaluable, and any breach in your system could result in a loss of data, revenue, clients, reputation and could even have legal implications.
Our security testing includes vulnerability scanning, security scanning, penetration testing, risk assessment, security auditing, ethical hacking, and postural assessment. Through these tests, we aim to identify any vulnerabilities, threats, and risks in your system and prevent any attack from intruders.
As a recognition for our work in cybersecurity, Quality.one was hailed as Clutch 2022 Top cybersecurity consultant from Switzerland. We remain committed to meeting the needs of our clients, including cybersecurity. Please send us a message today, and let’s talk about how to keep your company safe from cybercrime!
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