“There are only two types: companies that have been hacked and those that will be hacked.” Even that is merging in to one category: the ones that have been hacked again. – Robert Mueller Director of FBI
Cisco’s Cybersecurity Report shows that 31% of companies have experienced cyber-attacks against their operations technology at one time or another.
These are the top Cybersecurity threats and how you can avoid them.
Password Theft is when a third party guessed or stole your password in order to steal information.
Use different passwords for each account to prevent password theft. We are wary of social engineering and recommend that you never use your password on unsecure wifi. Two-factor authentication is a great way to ensure that your passwords remain secure.
Phishing attacks: Phishing attacks typically use email to send sensitive information. These emails may appear to be legitimate and include familiar logos or user names.
Use a spam filter to prevent phishing attacks and be wary of suspicious email. Do not respond if there are spelling or syntax mistakes, unclear details, suspicious files or links, or a domain name that is not compatible.
Malware: Malware refers to software that specifically targets computers to damage or disrupt them. Malware can access files and steal information.
Use an anti-malware software that is up-to-date to prevent malware. Also, avoid clicking on files and links that might be suspicious.
Ransomware is a variant of malware that prevents users from accessing the system’s functions until a ransom is paid to a third-party.
Use the most up-to-date antivirus software, avoid suspicious files, and avoid ransomware. To further protect your computer from a ransomware attack, you should have a backup of all files and systems.
Trojan Virus: Trojan Virus is a virus that disguises itself as hardware. An ‘alert’ could be sent to users recommending that they run a virus scan. The scan will then deliver the malware.
Avoid a Trojan Horse by not downloading programs from unknown vendors.
Traffic Interception: This is when a third party acquires information between a host and a user. This is used often to obtain log-ins or valuable data.
