Cybercrime is a huge global problem.
According to Cybercrime Magazine, 60 percent of small businesses have to shut down operations within the first six months because of cyber-attacks or data breaches — and that’s only the small businesses. If you’re a popular organization with many customers, you better believe cybercriminals will eventually eye up your business and try to cause some damage. Sadly, this is the reality of the digital world.
So, if you’re scared of potential cyberattacks and want to protect your business and its employees, read through the following list of the most common cybersecurity threats. Doing this will help to grow your knowledge of the threats you need to be most aware of. Additionally, each threat has a solution provided with it that’ll ultimately allow you to take action and keep those cybercriminals away from your valuable data.
Ready to begin learning? Let’s start now!
DoS Attacks
A DoS (Denial of Service) attack is when the target (usually a business’s app or website) is intentionally flooded with traffic. This traffic causes it to crash and become unusable. Cybercriminals can then exploit this to their advantage, such as by stealing valuable data.
Solution: Use an API Gateway
An API gateway can implement ‘rate limits’. Rate limiting will help to protect your business from DoS attacks by limiting the number of requests that can be received and processed. For example, your website can only receive 100 requests per minute. If your website was to receive 100+ requests between 14:00 and 14:01, then it would block any additional requests. This is bad news for the cybercriminals, as they won’t be able to crash your website.
Here are some API gateway examples for you to better understand how API gateways work and the other benefits (outside of improved cybersecurity) that they can bring to your business. API gateways are the future of cloud operations, so now is a great time to start using them.
Phishing
Phishing is a type of cyberattack that usually takes place through email or text. The phishing message will appear completely normal on the surface (e.g., an employee might receive an email from a cybercriminal pretending to be Apple), but within the message, there will be a dangerous malware link that you’re encouraged to click on. If an employee clicks on one of these links, it can cause chaos and lead to all kinds of damages, from stolen bank details to system shutdowns, which is why you need to be extra careful.
Solution: Install Security Software and Train Employees to Spot Phishing Messages
Security software should be installed across all employee work devices. On top of this, employees should be enrolled on phishing training courses so that they can identify phishing messages and avoid clicking on them,
Password Cracking
As the name suggests, password cracking is when a hacker attempts to crack your password using specialized tools. If they manage to crack the password, it means they’ll gain access to your account and everything within it — which you obviously don’t want to happen.
Solution: Use Strong Passwords and Turn on Two-Factor Authentication
All employees should be instructed to create strong passwords on company accounts. Additionally, make sure your employees turn on two-factor authentication and choose their preferred method, such as SMS verification.
Good luck, and remember to keep your business as safe as possible from cybersecurity threats!
