Cybercrime is frequently on the news and criminals are getting bolder and more sophisticated. For businesses whose success is contingent on the availability and security of their data, this means ensuring they are protected against cyber-attacks.
Well-planned cybercrimes can affect both big and small-medium-sized companies. Usually, these criminals prey on employees. Knowing how hackers can get into your networks can help you act proactively. Here are ways used by cybercriminals to enter your networks and launch attacks:
Take Advantage of Employees Opening Personal Emails at Work
Employees may check their personal emails at work, posing big issues. Personal inboxes bypass the security barriers like spam filters that you may have in place to secure your network. Thus, when a user interacts with a malicious email in their personal inbox while connected to your IT systems, it can cause harm that can hurt your company’s network.
Send Suspicious Email Attachments
If one of your employees gets what seems to be a legitimate message from a vendor or a bank, their first reaction is to open it to act upon the content. However, opening such attachments may lead to the installation of malicious software that creates security vulnerabilities in your network.
Victimize Remote Workers
If you have employees working remotely, they may be a target of cybercriminals. These employees may work from coffee shops, homes, or hotels just like they are at the office. But, this way of working also means they access company data in a less secure way.
Attach Data Stored on Mobile Devices
Mobile devices are susceptible to breaches. A lot of people don’t have a password or any other security on their devices. Also, mobile devices are more likely to get lost or stolen than company workstations. And users are likely to load games and applications to their devices, without considering the security risks involved. Mobile users don’t pay much attention to the source or the information an app is requesting access to before they download it, increasing the risk significantly. When hackers manage to hack an employee’s mobile device that contains some business data, they can easily steal it and use it to their advantage.
Companies that want to have a fighting chance at keeping their business secure and safe should have an in-house IT team or an IT partner that adopts the best IT security practices above. Also, business owners must have a conversation with a reputable business technology consultant about their cybersecurity risk and ensure their company gets the protection it needs.
