The growth of technology has greatly benefited us in many different ways. We can share communication and maintain contact with each other quickly and at a simple click away. Unfortunately, the use of technology has also created a platform of cybersecurity threats for criminals to target new victims online.
Not many people actually think about the potential of becoming a victim of cyberattacks. However, this happens on a global scale, and unfortunately can occur to anyone, and every few seconds, there is a new cyberattack taking place, and these spread quickly across devices and networks. The impacts of cybersecurity attacks are serious and can even put a company out of business.
It is important that you are aware of existing cyber threats and put the required measures in place to protect yourself. In this article, we will advise you of a few top cybersecurity threats you need to know about in 2020.
Phishing Attacks
Phishing frauds usually use social engineering to take consumer credentials for attack premises as well as service clouds. This means that attackers find a way to get sensitive data, like usernames, passwords, and financial details like credit card information from individuals. You may think that it is impossible for the majority of people to fall for these scams but this crime is actually on the rise as the sophistication of the attackers is increasing.
Remote Worker Endpoint Security
Employees working from home, usually access their systems without a secure network perimeter, hence not being protected against cybersecurity attacks. When targeting remote workers, attackers usually target systems instead of servers, which act as entry points to the system’s network. This can happen to any device, including smartphones, laptops, and computers. With the current increase in people working from home, attackers are also on the lookout for victims. It is imperative that you remain safe when working from home to avoid being targeted by cybercriminals.
Cloud Jacking
During the global pandemic in 2020, the majority of professionals were required to work from home, where possible, the cloud storage has significantly increased and this makes it more vulnerable to cyber-attacks, namely cloud jacking. This cybercrime occurs when an individual steals someone else’s account and is popularly used to commit identity theft and the perpetrator will generally utilize a compromised account to pass off as the owner of the account. If you are worried about cyber threats and how strong your security is, you should consult a professional. These IT experts, similar to the support offered at NetworkLondon.co.uk, can test your cybersecurity to assess how good it is and how easy it can be for attacks to penetrate your network. Hiring a professional is the best option to ensure that you have great safety measures in place.
Attack on IoT Devices
An IoT (Internet of Things) device is a piece of equipment that has a sensor that transfers data from one place to another with the use of the Internet – these are often found in mobile devices, home equipment as well as medical tools. IoT devices, such as industrial sensors, are prone to diverse kinds of cyber-attacks. These specific attacks comprise web criminals obtaining possession of the said device in order to access unauthorized information held within that system. The large increase of use of such IoT devices both for personal, industrial, and medical use, has brought with it an increase to these types of attacks and it can have serious impacts on individuals and businesses. Additionally, it is becoming more difficult to find effective protection against these cyber threats, considering the fast development of these devices in such short periods of time.
Sophisticated and Targeted Ransomware Attacks
Ransomware attacks are nothing new and have been a serious worry for many businesses in recent years. In this cybercrime, hackers attempt to infiltrate a company via brute-forcing passwords, which they often get from breaches of data. They then encrypt the data held by the system and demand a ransom in return for allowing the victim to regain access to their information. One of the main reasons people should be aware and careful of this attack is that it is not complex to achieve and it can have devastating effects on the victims.
Mobile Malware
The use of mobile phones has seriously increased in the last decade, with the majority of individuals having access to at least one smartphone. People often associate viruses and cyber threats to computers and tend to neglect the fact mobile phones are just as vulnerable to these cybersecurity threats and issues. The use of mobile internet is very popular and with numerous apps to download, it can be easy to get tricked into downloading malware.
This is very concerning for the targeted individual as hackers can access personal information such as passwords and addresses, emails, or even access to bank accounts. It is therefore vital to remain aware of this threat, now and in the future, as the use of mobile phones will very likely only continue to grow.
Deepfakes
Not many people are aware of cybersecurity threats like this, even though it is common. A deepfake consists of using machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to distort an image or video of someone in order to make it look they have done something that did not actually occur. It is highly believed this will be a major threat in 2020 and the years to come, as attackers can use it with malicious intentions. For example, using it to manipulate government activities and elections, or to commit identity thefts.
5G-to-Wi-Fi Security Vulnerabilities
Wi-fi is incredibly vulnerable to cyberattacks, despite people often ignoring this issue. This is because wireless networks transmit sets of data through the air, and these can be easily identified and modified by hackers, in order to get hold of sensitive and confidential information.
It is therefore imperative that businesses enhance their cybersecurity measures in order to ensure they remain protected. As previously mentioned, hackers are becoming increasingly more sophisticated and so are their cyberattacks.
Insider Threats
Insider threats, as the name suggests, comes from inside a company. This is very difficult to deal with as the attacker has legitimate access to your business and could be anyone from an employee, contractor or an associate, and they are trusted with confidential information and secure devices. These individuals sabotage systems in order to steal data and maybe sell it to a third party or use it themselves. For obvious reasons, this can be detrimental for your business and seriously impact your reputation if your security gets breached, as clients’ information may be accessed as well.
On the other hand, these threats can also occur as a result of employees’ genuine negligence as they fail to consider the importance of cybersecurity and fail to take appropriate action. It is therefore vital to train your staff members so they thoroughly understand the risks associated with cybersecurity and the consequences this can have on the overall business.
Cybersecurity is very important and there are many existing cybersecurity threats that you need to know about in order to protect yourself and avoid becoming a victim. This can have serious impacts on you and your business, so take the time to learn about the threats mentioned in this article, and how to protect yourself against them.
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