There are many threats in the world, meaning business owners, as well as homeowners, have to be vigilant in their security systems and keeping their sensitive data secure. Threats of malware and break-ins are serious and ever-growing, and in 2017 we saw multiple high-profile and extreme attacks.
Therefore, people have to be vigilant in their attempts at updating their security measures and teaching family or employees how to keep information safe and away from prying eyes.
Traditional Break-Ins
With such a focus on malware and digital threats, many people invest all their time and money in protecting their online identity and activity. However, this shouldn’t be the case. While it’s important to have the correct anti-virus and firewalls in place, you still need to think about your buildings, such as offices and houses.
Keep yourself, your family, and your employees safe by installing state-of-the-art burglar alarms and security systems. For advice and more information on the matter, you can contact the Eurolink Security experts.
The Treat of Ransomware
Ransomware is a malware that enters your computer, encrypts your important files and demands a ransom in order to unlock them. Such an attack can shut down an entire organization, refusing to give access to any files until the cybercriminal’s ransom has been paid.
The unfortunate reality about ransomware is that it can earn the hijackers a lot of money and be difficult to stop, hence the increase in attacks. Ransomware attacks are growing more advanced in their nature, and some hackers are even utilizing ransomware as a distraction technique. For example, they hack into a network and take the valuable information they want, leaving ransomware behind to throw people off their scent and to stop them from realizing the true extent of the cyber attack.
When ransomware is used against a public-facing company, for example, the UK’s NHS or a multinational chain, the public interest, and pressure requires the company to act fast to solve the issue. This trend in attacking public-facing companies will continue to grow in 2018, as will the attempts to use ransomware via email systems. Common ways that ransomware gains access to your computer is via email or network servers, so be vigilant when opening emails.
Failure to Comply with the GDPR
The General Data Protection Act (GDPR) is coming into effect this May. Therefore, a number of important changes to the current Data Protection Directive will soon be arriving at the front doors of many businesses. Failure to comply with the new rules can result in hefty fines, such as 4% of your annual turnover or a scathing amount of €20m – whichever is greater for your company.
To keep your business secure, and to keep your trustworthy business image, you need to research the changes and how you need to adapt your business’s practices, however, according to a Forrester report, “80% of companies will fail to comply.”
Trojan Attacks
Banking Trojans are a huge threat to individuals and businesses, as they are designed with one goal in mind – to break into your online bank account and transfer your money out of it. They are ever-evolving, adapting quickly to fit the banking environment, which means that phishing attempts can be hard to distinguish from legitimate banking transactions.
Often banking Trojans enter appearing as a harmless email or download, and they can then cause enormous damage. Some banking Trojans perform a ‘man-in-the-middle’ attack, whereby they control and alter the user’s display browser to present the illusion that everything is proceeding as expected even as the attack is taking place. Banking Trojans continue to rise, and increasing your security against them is even more necessary.