Tech Tip: The Only Way To Defend Against Cybersecurity Threats
Key points:
- Cybercrime scams evolve daily
- The only way to defend against new scams is to stay aware of them
- Users need ongoing training to stay secure
The Secret To An Effective Cybersecurity Defense
Your staff members can’t be expected to spot a phishing email or a fraudulent website if they haven’t been trained. Have you invested in your company’s staff’s cybersecurity awareness yet?
You wouldn’t expect your staff members to be able to do their jobs well without the proper training, right?
Of course not—following that logic, how can you expect them to be able to contribute to your company’s cybersecurity without being trained to do so?
The fact is that even though your staff members may be your most important resource when it comes to cybersecurity, they may also be your greatest liability.
After all, more than 90% of cybersecurity incidents can be traced back to human error—that’s why cybersecurity training is so important.
Find out more in our latest Tech Tip video:
The Cost Of A Cyberattack
Security Magazine says the average data breach cost for a small business is $36,000 to $50,000. Not to mention the lost productivity and reputational damage to your company.
Of course, this number is much greater when we look at large successful businesses. Here are the stats:
- The average cost of a data breach is $3.86M
- 60% of breached companies go out of business within half a year of a cyber incident
The fact is that you can’t afford to cut corners on your cybersecurity. It’s easy to assume that you won’t be anytime soon just because you haven’t been hit by a cyberattack yet.
You may think you can put off investing in an effective business continuity plan, but you may get hit without warning. Don’t assume you’re safe.
3 Cybercrime Scams That Target Unaware Users
Phishing
Phishing is a method in which cybercriminals send fraudulent emails that appear to be from reputable sources to get recipients to reveal sensitive information and execute significant financial transfers.
Phishing attacks are mass emails that request confidential information or credentials under pretenses, link to malicious websites, or include malware as attachments.
With only a surprisingly small amount of information, cybercriminals can convincingly pose as staff members and superiors to persuade employees to give them money, data, or crucial information.
The average phishing attack costs businesses $1.6 million. The problem with the rising tide of cybercrime incidents is that you get desensitized to the whole thing.
The fact is that companies aren’t learning to protect themselves, which is why the number of reported phishing attacks has gone up by 65% in the past few years.
Ransomware
In a ransomware attack, an unsuspecting user clicks on a seemingly safe link or email attachment that appears to be a bill or other official document.
Instead, the attachment installs a malicious software program (malware) onto the computer system that encrypts the data and holds it at ransom.
The user is then stuck without access to their data and faced with paying the attacker a huge sum. According to Coveware’s Q4 Ransomware Marketplace report
- The average ransomware payout is $84,116
- The highest ransom paid by a target organization was $780,000
- The average ransomware attack results in 16.2 days of downtime
Malicious Websites
Hackers can create fake websites that are set up to look like accurate sites, but the spelling of the URL or site name contains an error that users quickly make.
For example, an attacker may set up a site with the name “www.gooogle.com” instead of www.google.com.
Users who are not careful may type in an extra ‘o’ in the name and will land on the fake site. From here, the site will record all the information you enter into any text or password boxes, which the cybercriminal will then use against you.
What’s The Most Effective Way To Protect Your Company?
Cybersecurity Awareness Training is the best method for defending your company from phishing, ransomware, and other scams. This method recognizes how important the user is in your cybersecurity efforts.
A comprehensive cybersecurity training curriculum will train the staff at your company to ask essential questions about every email they receive:
- Do I know the sender of this email?
- Does it make sense that it was sent to me?
- Can I verify that the attached link or PDF is safe?
- Does the email threaten to close my accounts or cancel my cards if I don’t provide information?
- Is this email really from someone I trust or does it just look like someone I trust? What can I do to verify?
- Does anything seem “off” about this email, its contents, or the sender?
The right training services will offer exercises, interactive programs, and even simulated phishing attacks to test your staff on a number of key areas:
- How to identify and address suspicious emails, phishing attempts, social engineering tactics, and more.
- Using business technology without exposing data and other assets to external threats by accident.
- How to respond when you suspect that an attack is occurring or has occurred.
Veltec Networks can help…
Don’t Let Your Users Put You At Risk
The key to truly comprehensive cybersecurity is simple, yet often overlooked: the user.
The best cybersecurity technology and practices in the world can be undone by one staff member who doesn’t understand how to use them or how to protect the data they work with.
The good news is that you don’t have to handle cybersecurity training for your team by yourself—Veltec Networks is here to help.
We offer a comprehensive employee Cyber Awareness Training program that combines regular online training, simulated phishing attacks, and dark web monitoring.
With our help, your staff will contribute to your cybersecurity, not compromise it.
