Cybercrime is becoming a significant threat to companies across the world. Following the growth of technologies and businesses, cyber-criminals are becoming more sophisticated in their attacks, targeting the valuable assets of vulnerable businesses.
It is, therefore, essential a company invests in security as a service, or they may fall victim to one of the following biggest online security threats.
Memory Resident Malware
Memory resident malware will embed a harmful code into the file’s memory, which will remain within the document until it is triggered. The cyber-criminal can also use memory resident code to plan an attack before or following a vulnerability report, so they can target a computer before there is time to stop it. Fortunately, you can remove the malware by rebooting an infected computer.
Phishing Attacks
Phishing attacks are on the rise, unfortunately. In fact, the Anti-Phishing Working Group reported that 2016 was the worst year in phishing history, with 1,220,523 reported phishing attacks taking place within the 12-month period.
Cyber-criminals have developed a multi-layered malware that has become increasingly difficult to block. For example, many hackers are now combining phishing with other online attacks, such as remote execution, privilege escalation, and ransomware.
It could take companies years to recover from a serious data breach, and it also has the potential to cost the business millions of pounds, which could result in the collapse of a company. Many businesses that experience a data breach may experience the loss of intellectual property and the destruction of the company’s critical infrastructure.
The Combination of DDOS & IoT Botnets
Hackers are now using a combination of the distributed denial of service (DDoS) with the Internet of Things (IoT) botnets to infiltrate embedded devices, such as routers and IP-enabled surveillance cameras. The sophisticated hacking method is increasing the vulnerability of a company’s firewalls and endpoint protection, as the IoT breaches will slip under the radar, so an IT professional may not notice an attack until it is too late.
Security Operations Centers (SOCs)
Many companies may believe the creation of in-house security operation centers is an effective way to protect their business, but many companies are leaving themselves vulnerable to cyber attacks, as they can often be more reactive than proactive. Many companies are therefore struggling to manage the number of security alerts.
It is, therefore, a wise idea to turn to companies such as Masergy for managed security solutions, which can provide advanced analytics and 24-hour monitoring seven days per week, which can detect and prevent security breaches from affecting a company.
Poor Account Authentication
Many companies are failing to adopt multifactor authentication, which is resulting in cyber-attackers targeting those with poor account authentication. Multifactor authentication often requires a username, password and fingerprint technology. The problem is expected to grow throughout 2017 unless more businesses adopt the secure authentication protections.
Cybercrime shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. If anything, it is expected to grow along with technology. It is, therefore, essential organizations take steps to protect their company from falling vulnerable to attack.
