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How to Fight Cyber Threats (10 Methods)

Aug 4, 2022

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The digital age is full of special processes and capabilities which enhance our lives and work. However, these technological advances are also a risk, and no business or IT company is secure from the threats.

Cybercriminals are using more and advanced techniques to conduct destructive attacks. This is why many companies feel powerless to protect their information and valuable assets from attack.

In this blog, we'll talk about what a cyber attack looks like. In addition, we'll provide 10 simple ways you can protect yourself from them.

What is Cyber Threats

Cyber-attacks are malicious and designed to steal data to disrupt business operations or damage digital assets. Cybercriminals target businesses and individuals to make a profit.

These threats come in many forms, including viruses, malware, data breaches, Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks and phishing attacks, ransomwareand Man-in-the-Middle (MitM) threats, among others.

What are the reasons to protect yourself from Cybersecurity Risks?

Cyber security threats can be a serious issue and can have far-reaching effects that disrupt many areas of our lives. In the case of recent ransomware attacks on the energy and food supply chains resulted in price hikes and supply shortages.

The risk of causing significant harm is real when the attacks target telephone systems, networks and healthcare systems and water treatment facilities, electrical grids, or public operations.

Cyber-attacks are a matter of the national defense and is a major concern for our current administration.

On a smaller scale, the threat to individuals are also very serious. A breach of data that leaks sensitive information may cause the theft of identities, financial fraud and financial ruin. These threats are growing in intensity and growing in amounts.

Where Do Cyber Attacks Originate?

Attackers are not just one breed of animal we need to be concerned about. The dangers come from various types of individuals as well as groups with varying agendas.

However, a lot of most damaging attacks are backed by antagonistic countries. Although not as common, terrorist groups may also be involved in cyberterrorism.

Organized criminality often uses cyber-attacks to gather details, hold businesses hostage for ransom, and acquire data to aid in identity theft and fraud. Police have linked a number of fraudulent credit card transactions with organized crime.

hackers, hacktivists hackers, hacktivists and angry insiders are in charge of various cyber attack. Sometimes, for instance, hackers can contact a company employee and hire or blackmail the employee into joining forces with them.

It sounds quite sophisticated, but anyone can be a victim, even small companies can fall prey to these attacks.

Types of Cyber Threats

There are a myriad of types of cyber threats. However, for the majority of attacks the principle that is most prevalent is social engineering.

Social engineering occurs where hackers trick people into disregarding security protocols and the best practices to ensure that hackers are able to gain access to information and systems.

Here are the major kinds of threats, a lot that involve social engineering.

Malware

Malware is malware that is created to:

  • Spy on the user
  • Steal credentials
  • Alter, copy, or delete Files
  • Change permissions
  • Interrupt network operations
  • Other types of damage can be caused.

There are dozens of malware kinds and variations, many of which are available via the dark web, either available for purchase or trade.

DDoS Attacks

Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack overwhelm the system or network. This interruption in the flow of traffic creates a window of opportunity for cybercriminals to gain access to steal data or install malicious software.

Phishing

If a user browses the site or clicks the hyperlink, malicious software will be automatically downloaded. In some cases, personal information that is entered into hacker-proofed forms is gathered and then used.

Ransomware

Ransomware attacks involve the encryption of a company's or individual's files. Hackers then hold the data locked hostage on the demand of a ransom. Some companies decide not to make a payment.

Other people pay, but they discover that the promise of decrypter keys is not true, and the code isn't able to retrieve the information.

Zero-Day Exploits

New software and devices often come with built-in flaws. By exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities, hackers exploit these flaws before companies have the time to patch their vulnerabilities.

Man-in-the-Middle Attacks

Man-in-the-middle attacks usually impact wireless networks that are not secured in public locations like coffee shops as well as airports and hotels.

The attacker monitors the internet for connections and then uses special software to steal keystrokes, obtain logins, and then take full control over the devices of users.

Password Attacks

Credential Stuffing is the process whereby threat actors steal passwords of one account and try to use them on another account.

Data breaches

Numerous data breaches have revealed thousands of Americans' personal data on the dark web. These breaches have led to the theft of personal information and fraud.

IoT Device Threats

Due to the fact that IoT devices are still relatively modern technologies, many of them have not been properly secured. This is because IoT devices can be a gateway into the network that hackers can use to gain access to the network of a company or home.

10 Strategies to Safeguard Yourself from Cyber Threats

While the threat is actual and imminent but you are able to take precautions to protect yourself and your company. Following are 10 of the top things you can take to protect yourself from cyberattacks.

Security should be a top concern

If you own an online company, your best bet is to purchase an high quality monitoring service that will keep a close eye on matters and fix any issues that occur before they turn into catastrophic events.

Update with security patches

Be sure to keep the hardware, software, and software updated to the most recent security patches.

It is among the main reasons you should renew your software licences annually. For the vast majority of software and plugins licensing renewals cover crucial things such as security patches creation and deployment.

Train your team

It is important that your employees understand the way phishing attacks and social engineering operate. Also, ensure that they understand how to react when your company is targeted.

You might consider holding a workshop for your entire company or enrolling in an online class to your staff. As an example, Coursera offers an excellent and inexpensive cybersecurity threat intelligence training course.

Though the majority of email and SMS hyperlinks are authentic, it's extremely difficult to tell the difference between real and phishing hyperlinks.

So, make it a habit to not click on the link or download an attachment in the form of an SMS or email. Instead, visit the URL directly. Just type the address into your web browser, and you'll know if the link is honest.

Check out your sender

Be sure to verify who sent your emails before taking any action. You can do this by:

  1. Examining the sender email to ensure that there are no misspellings
  2. Examining whether the address and the display name are they same (they ought to be)

Also, you can check the DMARC record of the sender. Fraudmarc offers a DMARC Record Check tool which is free to use.

Update your devices

Consider installing plugins, extensions, and apps to keep your devices updated with the latest antivirus/anti-malware software.

There's a myriad of tools out there and many are free to use. Look over PCMag's 2022 listing of the best free antivirus software right here.

Make sure you are serious about passwords

 And never, ever reuse passwords.

Backup your data

In case of the threat of ransomware, make sure you've made a good backup of all your data. Additionally, save your backups offsite. Below are some WordPress backup plugins that we suggest:

Beware of networks that are not secured

Ideally, you should always make use of a virtual private network (VPN) when connecting with public networks. A VPN creates an encrypted and private connection between your device and the network.

It's recommended to avoid unsecured public networks all over the world.

Encrypt your data

You should encrypt all the files on your computer and devices. Data encryption protects the privacy of your sensitive and private information. It also makes the communication between client apps and servers much more secure.

Once your data has been encrypted, even if unauthorized people or other entities gain access onto your information, they'll be unable to read it.

Conclusion

A lot of our personal information is available on the internet, and of course, there are cyber risks to worry about.

Include cybersecurity in your primary priorities for protecting your online business and your whole digital universe.