1. Internal Employees
Employees who practice poor security habits can unknowingly compromise a company’s prized data, systems and even often results in transferring of company funds to malicious actors. Failure to recognize phishing emails as malicious, forwarding and opening unverified attachments, and falling for someone as a legitimate employee requesting financial information or transfers are just a few ways employees create vulnerabilities for companies.
Your IT partner can combat this through regular user training, testing, and notifying your company of failed tests by employees.
2. Phishing
Almost everyone has received a suspicious email or an email that appears to be legitimate from a trusted party, but isn’t. This email forgery is defined as phishing.
Phishing is a major threat to companies because it is common for unsuspecting employees to open forged emails and unleash malicious content to their computer and potentially to the company’s environment they are connected to. Security Awareness Training for all employees is a company’s best defense to knowing how to recognize phony emails, report them, and never fall susceptible to them.
Your IT partner should issue regular user training and notify the company of failed tests by employees.
3. Malware
Malware is malicious software that is developed by cybercriminals and injected into networks with the intention of causing disruption to computers, servers, workstations and networks by allowing hackers to take control. Malware can extract confidential data, deny service and gain access to a company’s systems.
Your IT Partner should use security software and firewalls to monitor and intercept malware command-and-control software before it is able to enter your networks and systems, but bad actors continue to scheme new ways to gain entry. Maintaining consistent updates to security software and firewalls is essential for this reason.
4. Ransomware
Ransomware is a type of malware that blocks access to a system, and/or steals data and threatens to publish it publicly. Ransomware criminals demand that their victim companies pay them cash to unlock systems or return information.
According to Tech Republic, in 2022, Ransomware attacks on companies are 31% higher than they were in 2021. In many cases, companies agree to pay the demanded ransom to get their data back, and then are taken advantage of again by the same attackers. Ransomware attacks are costly and damaging to a company’s reputation.
Your IT Partner can advise you on how to best prepare your company for an attack through security measures, user training, and cyber liability insurance.
5. IoT (Internet of Things)
IoT is defined as a collective network of connected devices and the technology that facilitates communication between devices and the cloud, as well as between the devices themselves. With the expansion of IoT, security risks also grow. IoT vendors are known for implementing minimal security on their devices.
Your IT Partner can combat this threat by vetting vendors upfront, and by altering settings to meet your company’s standards and protocols.