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Strategies to Fight Cyber Threats (10 Ways)

Aug 11, 2022

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Our modern digital world is full of special processes and capabilities that improve our lives and work. However, these technological advances are also a risk as well, and there is no way for a business or IT-related organization is immune from the threats.

Cybercriminals use ever more sophisticated techniques to wage damaging campaigns. As a result, most organizations feel helpless in protecting their information and valuable assets from malicious attack.

In this article we'll look at what a cyber threat looks as. We'll also give 10 easy ways to safeguard yourself from cyber threats.

What is Cyber Threats

Cyber threats are malicious attacks designed to steal data and disrupt operation, as well as damage digital assets. The attackers target both companies and individuals with the goal of making profits.

The threats are in many forms, including malware, viruses, data breaches, Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, phishing, ransomware,and Man-in-the Middle (MitM) attack, among others.

What are the reasons to protect yourself from Cybersecurity Security Threats?

Cyber threats are serious business and can have far-reaching effects that affect many areas of our lives. In the case of recent ransomware attack on chain of supply for fuel and food led to price rises and shortages.

The risk of causing significant harm is very real when these attacks are aimed at telephone systems, networks as well as healthcare facilities or water treatment plant, electrical grids, or public operations.

Cyber threats are even part that is part of national security and are a top priority to our government at present.

In a lesser way however, the risk for individuals are also very serious. A breach of data that leaks sensitive information may lead to fraudulent identity theft and financial destruction. The risks are increasing in severity and increasing in numbers.

Where do Cyber-Terrorisms Come From?

Attackers are not just one species of animal that we have to worry about. These threats are often from different types of people as well as groups with varying agendas.

Unfortunately, many of the most destructive attacks are supported by nations that are hostile to the United States. Although not as common, terrorist groups might also be involved with cyberterrorism.

Criminals in organized criminality frequently uses digital threats to collect data, hold corporations in a hostage situation to demand ransoms, and steal data for identity theft as well as fraud. Police have linked a number of fraudulent credit card transactions with organized crime.

Hackers, hacktivists hackers, hacktivists and unhappy insiders are in charge of various cyber attacks. Sometimes, for instance, hackers may contact an employee, and then blackmail or hire the employee into joining forces with them.

It sounds quite sophisticated, but anyone can be a victim, even small companies could be a victim of the attacks.

Types of Cyber Threats

There's a wide variety of cyber-attack types. For many of them, the principle that is most prevalent is the concept of social engineering.

Social engineering is when hackers manipulate people into ignoring standard security procedures and the best practices to ensure that hackers gain access to data and systems.

Following are the main types of threats, many that involve social engineering.

Malware

Malware is an infected program created to:

  • Track the user's movements
  • Steal credentials
  • Alter, copy, and delete files
  • Change permissions
  • Interrupt network operations
  • Cause other kinds of damage

There are numerous malware kinds and variants, a lot of them are on the dark web for sale or trade.

DDoS Attacks

Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack overwhelm systems or networks. This disruption of the flow of data provides a chance in which cybercriminals get access to data or install malicious software.

Phishing

Once a user is on the website or clicks on the link, malware gets instantly downloaded. In some cases, personal information that is entered into compromised forms are gathered and used.

Ransomware

Ransomware attacks involve the the encryption of company or personal files. Hackers then hold the locked data hostage in demand for a ransom payment. Many companies choose not to make a payment.

Some pay for it, however they discover that the promise of the decrypter key unfulfilling, and the key doesn't work to restore the information.

Zero-Day Exploits

New software and devices often have flaws built in. Cybercriminals can exploit zero-day vulnerabilities to attack these vulnerabilities before businesses are able to patch their vulnerabilities.

Man-in-the-Middle Attacks

Man-in the-middle attacks generally cause problems for wireless networks that are not secured in public places like cafes as well as airports and hotels.

The hacker scans the network for connections, after which he uses specialized software to take keystrokes, gain passwords and gain complete control of the device of its users.

Password Attacks

Credential stuffing is the process whereby threat actors make use of stolen passwords on one account to transfer them to another account.

Data breaches

Data breaches of dozens have revealed thousands of Americans' personal information on the dark web. These breaches have led to fraudulent transactions and theft of identity information.

IoT Device Threats

Because IoT devices are still relatively modern technologies, many of them aren't properly protected. Due to this, IoT devices provide an entry into the network that hackers can use to gain access to a home or company network.

10 Ways to Protect Yourself from Cyber Threats

Although the threats are actual and imminent but you are able to take precautions to secure yourself as well as your business. Here are 10 of the best things you can do to ward off cyberattacks.

Security should be a top concern

If you operate an online-based business it is best to invest in a high quality monitoring service that can monitor the situation and address any problems that arise before they become catastrophic events.

Update that includes security patches

Make sure you keep all your systems, hardware, and software updated to the most recent security patches.

It is among the most important reasons to renew software licenses annually. In the majority of plugins and software, license renewal pays for essential things such as security patch design and installation.

Training your team

It is important that your employees understand the way phishing attacks and social engineering work. Also, ensure that they understand how to react should your business is targeted.

Think about holding a corporate-wide training or buying an online course for your employees. Like, Coursera offers an excellent cost-effective cybersecurity threat intelligence training course.

While the majority of email and SMS links are legitimate but it's extremely difficult to discern between genuine and fake hyperlinks.

Therefore, you should be a rule of thumb to never click the link or download an attachment within messages via SMS or email. Instead, visit your URL directly. Simply type in the URL into your web browser, and you should be able to determine if the link is honest.

Check out your sender

Make sure you verify the sender of your emails before taking any actions. This can be done by:

  1. Verifying the email address for spelling errors
  2. Verifying whether the address and the display name are they same (they should be)

You can also check out the DMARC records of the sender. Fraudmarc provides the DMARC Record Checker tool which is free to use.

Update your devices

Consider installing plugins, extensions, and apps to keep your devices updated with the latest antivirus/anti-malware software.

There are all kinds of tools out there Many of them are free to use. Take a look at PCmag's 2022 list of antivirus free software right here.

Be serious about the passwords you choose to use

 And never, ever reuse passwords.

Backup your data

In case of an attack by ransomware, be sure that you've got a reliable backup of all your data. Additionally, store your backups away from your computer. Here are a few WordPress backup plugins that we would recommend:

Beware of networks that are not secured

In general, it is recommended to make use of a virtual private network (VPN) when connecting to public networks. VPNs VPN creates an encrypted, secure connection between your device and the public network.

It's recommended to stay clear of public networks that are not secure in general.

Encrypt your data

It is recommended to encrypt all data in your systems as well as on any devices. Data encryption protects the privacy of your sensitive and private information. Additionally, it helps make communications between the client applications and servers much more secure.

When your data is encrypted, even if unauthorized people or other entities gain access upon your data, they'll be unable to access the data.

Conclusion

The majority of our personal data is readily available online, and of course, there are cybersecurity risks that we need to be aware of.

Make cybersecurity one of your top priorities for protecting your online business and your entire digital world.