Exploring Common Cybersecurity Threats and Their Consequences

The online world offers lots of opportunities, especially when you’re a growing business. At the same time, all the Internet’s advantages come at a cost: cybersecurity threats. Each day, businesses like yours are combating threats, whether they’re aware of them or not. By understanding more about the commonest ones, you’ll make it easier to avoid them in the future.

Ransomware viruses

Although computer viruses have been present for quite a while, large-scale ransomware is a relatively new phenomenon. Like computer viruses, ransomware takes hold of your network and restricts you from accessing the information you need. Those who develop the viruses go a step further by demanding that you pay a ransom or face losing your information forever.

According to some statistics, the cost of ransomware is set to hit $11.5 billion during 2019. Not all those costs come from companies having to pay to retrieve their information. For every second you spend trying to recover your data, you’re losing money in the form of business. Additionally, you could face fines for a data breach if you haven’t taken the right steps to protect customer and client information. Because of all these consequences, it’s wise to do what you can to prevent these cybersecurity threats.

Phishing scams

Phishing scams have come a long way since their early days. It’s no longer the case that they’re all obvious requests for bank details. Today, potential thieves are adept at making their emails appear as though they’ve come directly from a verifiable source.

One of the biggest cybersecurity threats you face from a phishing scam is someone obtaining login data that they’ll then use to access your systems. As a result, you could face viruses, security breaches, and data losses. 

If you’re going to reduce the risk of a phishing scam, it’s essential to educate all employees on how to identify them. Additionally, ensure employees know where to go if they believe they’ve accidentally fallen for a scam. By promoting an atmosphere of openness and honesty, you’re more likely to reduce the harmful effects of a scam rather than allowing one to take hold.

DOS and DDOS attacks

Denial of Service (DOS) and distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks are attempts to bring a website to its knees. Both attacks aim to flood a website with traffic so that its servers can no longer withstand the incoming information. When the servers reach their bandwidth limit, your website enters a period of downtime. 

Usually, DOS and DDOS attacks make it hard for legitimate users to access a website and its content. As a result, you may lose out on potential customers and clients. Depending on how many of your services are web-based, you could also alienate existing customers and clients.

Despite more businesses making an effort to keep such attacks at bay, they’re on the rise. In 2019 Q1, there was a 200% increase in these attacks compared to the same quarter in 2018. Having a solid cybersecurity threat plan in place can reduce your chances of encountering such attacks and protect your reputation.

As time goes on, the number of cybersecurity threats against businesses increase and evolve. One of the most reliable ways to prevent them affecting you is to alter your business’s threat prevention techniques. By reviewing your cybersecurity prevention plan periodically, you reduce your chances of falling victim to the various threats.