5 cybersecurity threats to watch out for
Cybersecurity threats are acts performed by individuals with harmful intent, and combined with an increase in remote working, are becoming more complex. With the risks of cyber attacks growing, organisations need to educate staff on common practices and threats to ensure that you don’t fall victim to such attacks.
Read on below to learn about some of the most common cybersecurity threats, and what you can do to stay protected.
Vulnerabilities
Recently discovered critical vulnerabilities found in Microsoft Exchange Servers and further increases and advances in phishing mean that MSPs have got to be on top of monitoring more than ever. No platform is invulnerable to attacks, and cybercriminals continue to find security flaws in software faster than developers can address them.
Although most MSPs have migrated their customers to Microsoft 365, those still supporting on-premise Exchange Servers need to be extremely cautious. Failing to pay attention to the vulnerabilities and risks they can cause could be devastating, and extra vigilance is required to keep these legacy servers running.
Cloud-based attacks
Countless organisations across the globe are now using the cloud, and harnessing its immense flexibility, scalability and power. Much in the same way that Macs have become more susceptible to malware as they have grown more popular, the popularity of the cloud means that cloud-based attacks are now on the rise.
As a result, common infiltration points to cloud environments need to be secured and monitored. Common cloud vulnerabilities include such as poor cloud security setup, misconfiguration of settings and installs, mismanagement of ID, login details and account access mean there need to be steps taken to prevent this occurring.
Ransomware
Ransomware has been one of the most consequential cybersecurity threats for a significant amount of time, and hackers continue to evolve their delivery methods and make advances in this type of malware. In the worst case scenario, ransomware can completely remove access to files on a system, network or server, resulting in extensive and permanent data loss.
Having a solid, robust backup plan is one of the best ways to protect yourself against this kind of cyber threat. This means going to an experienced MSP who will provide a comprehensive backup service, with full backups on at least a weekly basis, and partial backups on at least a daily basis. This will help to ensure you are best protected from these ever-evolving threats, and should at worst only lose a small amount of data.
Business email
Email accounts are the source of many cybersecurity breaches, and business emails are particularly vulnerable. Messages pretending to be from colleagues, other businesses, or services you use can contain links to phishing sites that steal your details, while downloaded attachments can grant access to your device or network.
Hacked email accounts can also be used to distribute spam from an authentic address, steal sensitive information, or attack other email addresses. It’s important to educate your employees on exactly how to avoid these threats, and introduce basic security measures such as strong passwords or passphrases, effective spam filters, and active threat detection to prevent staff from accidentally browsing to dangerous websites.
Data Centre Attacks
Data centres are high-value targets for cybercriminals, as they store huge amounts of sensitive information for a variety of clients. While this means they tend to be well-protected, it also leaves them subject to a wide range of cyber attacks. Data centre attacks can come in many forms, including DDoS attacks, malware attacks, insider threats, phishing attacks and ransomware attacks.
As such, it is of the utmost importance that businesses take data centre security seriously, and put steps in place to protect their own data centre environments. This includes implementing security measures such as intrusion detection, security audits, and prevention systems – and if your data centre is managed by a MSP, to check that they have all of these measures in place.
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Your team should be constantly educated about the latest threats that cybercrime can pose, and how to mitigate these through everyday behaviours. Above all else, it is important to ensure your cybersecurity needs are in the hands of experts, providing peace of mind for your business should your in-house measures fail. Sota has a whole wealth of cybersecurity knowledge across our expert team, so don’t hesitate to get in touch for advice or questions.