Life and commerce in the digital age has been full of surprises. Technology and communication have reached an all time high, benefiting consumers and companies alike tremendously. On the other hand, the current paradigm of the technologically dominated commercial landscape presents some problems. Technology is complicated, for one thing, and then there’s the possibility of cyber attacks to contend with. Hackers have a vested interest in obtaining profitable data from you and your customers, but these tips can help you even against the odds.
What Is a Cyber Attack?
The potential risks of facing a cyber attack are immense, but what is a cyber attack? There’s no singular answer to this question, however, because hackers have a variety of methods and tools. For example, a spoofing attack is a type of cyber attack in which a hacker can fake the appearance of a company when interacting with potential customers online, and this can be used to get illicit information such as credit card numbers or addresses. On the other hand, there is malware, perhaps the most ubiquitous cyber attack method. Malware is popular because it requires no effort after a malicious program has been coded and planted on an unsecure website.
Then there are Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, a style of cyber attack that is incredibly complex. This means both that these attacks are few and far between and that they are often incredibly effective. A DDoS attack is the result of a hacker using malware to infect an army of computers that can then be used to assault a company’s servers with rapid-fire, fraudulent server requests. This overwhelms servers, causing them to shut down, potentially causing major damage to a company’s operation and, therefore, its bottom line.
How Do You Protect Your Company?
With all of these many potential cyber attacks waiting in the wings, there is an immense need for cybersecurity. While consumer-grade cybersecurity can consist of as little as antimalware, businesses are more aggressively targeted by hackers. Therefore, any serious business in the modern era will have to put a portion of its budget toward cybersecurity. For starters, it’s important to consider the power of hiring or consulting with a qualified cybersecurity professional. There’s no cure-all when it comes to protecting yourself from attackers, because each tool and method can only counter so many of the seemingly endless methods that hackers can employ.
However, it’s worth taking a look at some of the methods at your disposal, any one of which is infinitely better than inaction. Antimalware is not only a good tool for consumers, but also for businesses, as well. In fact, there’s an argument to be made that businesses have a greater need for even this most basic cybersecurity tool, simply by virtue of potentially encountering unsecure websites when dealing with clients and other small businesses. DDoS prevention software is also available, and this is crucial, because the nature of DDoD attacks is such that it requires machine assistance to adequately combat them.
Another major priority is the two-pronged measures of intrusion detection and prevention software that can serve as your first line of defense in the event of a network breach. Similarly, network traffic monitoring is a great way to anticipate attacks before they occur. This is accomplished by observing the actions of a given user’s IP address and then, in the event of suspicious activity, acting accordingly.
Best practices play an important role in staying safe online, as well. For example, knowing how to spot an unsecured website is often enough to protect the average user from malware. On the other hand, proper password protection or multi-factor authentication can keep hackers from infiltrating your accounts and servers.
While there are seemingly countless opportunities for hackers to intercept your data, knowing the basics of cybersecurity and knowing when to trust the experts will serve you well. These tips will protect you and your customers from online threats.
