Cybersecurity has been an issue ever since businesses started using computers regularly more than thirty years ago. But today it’s arguably a more important one because companies are much more reliant on data and IT infrastructure than ever before. In short, hackers can do much more damage. Take a look at what happened to the dating website, Ashley Madison. Hackers broke into the company’s database, stole the details of people on the site, and then published them for all to see. It was a particularly harrowing experience for the company.
Small businesses are not immune to these problems. In fact, they may be at even higher risk as malicious actors see them as weaker targets. Here are some of the statistics your SME needs to know.
Two-Third Of SMEs Say That Attacks Are Getting More Sophisticated
Ponemon produced a report on the state of cybersecurity in 2017. In that report, they tracked the sophistication of attacks on small businesses by asking company managers about their perception of those attacks. The majority said that they thought that hacker techniques have become more sophisticated. They are getting better at avoiding things like firewalls, and antivirus software.
35 Percent Year-On-Year Growth In Ransomware Attacks
Hackers have realized that one of the easiest ways to take advantage of the value of data is to hold it to ransom. Rather than merely delete data or compromise a company’s systems, hackers download the files they need, stop the company from accessing them, and then demand payment to re-open access.
Avoiding ransomware attacks is tricky. But managed IT services that take a proactive approach to security may help to reduce risks.
Cryptomining Attacks Are Up By 600 Percent
Cryptocurrency is supposed to solve many of the problems with old currencies. It promises to get rid of rampant inflation, be traceable, and unique to the person who owns it. But it’s also thrown open a whole new world of cybersecurity dangers.
IBM says that crypto attacks went up six-fold in 2017. The majority of those attacks involved miners taking control of companies’ GPU resources for their own purposes. While these attacks are nowhere near as dangerous as data breaches, they can slow down company computers and result in higher energy bills.
92.5 Percent Of Malware Arrives In Email Attachments
If there is one area where you should focus your internet security efforts, it’s email. According to the American mobile phone giant, Verizon, more than 92 percent of all malware comes with email attachments. The reason for this is simple: most hackers know that employees at small businesses haven’t had training in opening emails and attachments from unknown senders. As a result, it’s easy to get them to open an email and unleash the malware onto the company system. Going forward, businesses must be more proactive in training staff to avoid these threats.
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