Cybersecurity Basics Everyone Needs to Know

Your business faces many threats each day. A changing economy, more people are changing how they buy, and more competition are all constant threats to your business.

Yet, there’s one more threat that needs to be on your radar. That’s cybersecurity. Organizations of all types and sizes are being targeted by hackers.

Some want to collect customer information. Others want to disrupt your business. Others want money. No matter what their motivation is, you need to protect your business. Almost one-third of all businesses that experience a cyberattack shut down within 6 months.

You need to know the cybersecurity basics to protect yourself. Read on to learn the most common cybersecurity threats and how you can guard against them.

Common Cybersecurity Threats

Hackers get more sophisticated and advanced all of the time. There are those that pride themselves on breaking into systems that seem impossible. Yet, there are some common threads the hackers use.

Out of all of the ways that hackers try to infiltrate your systems, these are the cybersecurity threats to be aware of.

Malware

Malware is a broad term that means malicious software. Malware can encompass anything from a trojan horse to a redirect scheme.

Some malware runs quietly in the background and collects data without your knowledge. There are other types of malware that can take over your computer.

Ransomware

This is a type of malware that is becoming more common because it works. Government organizations are big targets for ransomware. One recent attack in New Orleans forced the city to declare a state of emergency.

In a ransomware attack, a hacker will shut down your computer and networks hostage in exchange for money, usually paid in Bitcoin. If you don’t pay, the information gets destroyed. It could also be sold on the black market if the information is valuable enough.

Riviera Beach, Florida paid hackers about $600,000 to release their networks. There are many more costs involved to shore up systems and regain trust.

Phishing

If you’ve ever seen a fishing boat cast a wide net, you know that it’s bound to catch some fish. Phishing is a cybersecurity threat that uses a similar approach. Send out thousands of emails and hope that people bite.

Phishing emails come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some will target your company, impersonating a person in your office asking for payment.

Potential homebuyers have been targets of a scheme where they get an email from someone who says they’re with the escrow company. These emails ask homebuyers to deposit funds into a bank account.

Other emails can unleash viruses or ransomware when they’re clicked on.

Denial of Service Attack

A denial of service (DDoS) attack targets your website. The idea is to flood your site with so much traffic, there is no way that any real visitors can get through.

That can shut down your business for the entire day.

Fileless Attacks

Hackers have become so sophisticated, they don’t have to rely on your click to exploit a vulnerability in your systems. Hackers can install malicious code through your computer’s RAM.

Protecting Your Business from Cyberattacks

There are so many ways hackers can exploit your systems, it may seem like an impossible task to prepare your business to deal with all of them. Fear not, there are a few basic cybersecurity tips you can follow that can help you protect and prepare your business.

Have a Cybersecurity Policy

Do you have a cybersecurity policy? If not, you should start to draft one. A good policy outlines the dos and don’ts for employees.

For example, employees should always keep their mobile devices secure. Employees should also have a procedure to verify emails if they ask for money or they look suspicious.

Your policy should also outline regular security audits to detect security breaches and have a plan to respond to attacks. That will help you limit the amount of damage to your organization.

Update Your Software and Systems

Hackers usually find holes in your systems. That’s how they get through and steal data. They do that by finding security holes in older versions of software.

Don’t give them that type of opportunity. You have to make sure that all software and systems are updated to the latest versions. Make this a regular practice for your business.

Train Employees

Competition isn’t the biggest threat to your business. Your employees are. Employees are the most common cause of cybersecurity attacks.

They usually click on emails or send money to people they shouldn’t have. You need to train your employees on the cybersecurity basics.

Prepare for the Worst

Trying to prevent cyberattacks is no longer enough to save your business. You have to assume that it’s going to happen eventually. When you make this assumption, you’ll be ready to handle it.

How do you prepare for an attack? Start by creating regular backups of your document, data, and websites. That will minimize the damage if you lose everything.

You should also consider cyber insurance. This is a type of insurance policy that will protect your business in the event of an attack. You want to have a good policy that will protect your business from lawsuits, pay for lost revenue, and keep your business running.

Beat Hackers with Cybersecurity Basics

You have to take cybersecurity seriously in order to give your business a chance to survive. An attack could be so costly, it forces your business to close.

You can start by knowing the cybersecurity basics, such as knowing the common threats. You can then do your best to protect yourself. Create a cybersecurity policy to make sure that your business is prepared to find threats and respond if you find them.

That’s how you limit the damage and keep moving forward after an attack. Visit this site again for the latest in IT and security.