5 Cybersecurity Threats You Need to Know About

Why is cybersecurity such as important thing to consider today?

Cybercrime is a flourishing industry. In 2021, it’s expected to cost the world around $6 trillion in damages alone. By 2025, it can rise to $10.5 trillion per year.

Everyone is vulnerable to a cyberattack – individuals, government offices, huge corporations, and everyone else. That’s why it pays to be alert on the latest threats on cybersecurity so you can better prepare yourself.

What types of threats are we talking about? Keep on reading to learn more about the common ScoutDNS cybersecurity threats we face today.

1. Table of Contents

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   Advanced Phishing

Phishing isn’t going anywhere any time soon, and it’s taking on various forms to target as many people as possible. It’s a type of social engineering attack, which manipulates human psychology to obtain information or achieve other goals. The former is the most common intent, although some might aim to inject malware into your device.

The most common type of phishing is through email. A scammer uses an email address that looks official. Although, it usually comes with a misspelling or a replaced character.

The contents of the actual email vary, but they all have the same goal. That is to direct the victim to an official-looking website. An unsuspecting victim will then surrender their information, thinking that it’s safe.

We have a new kind of phishing today, though, and it’s pandemic-related. Cybercriminals are using COVID-19 events, like news of a new vaccine or a surge in new cases. They usually impersonate health organizations to deliver some fake news.

They then send out emails that are in line with this theme to try to get the victims to click a link, attachment, or whatnot. These links may pose as a website for vaccine registration or a Skype page. The goal is always to get private information.

2. Work-From-Home Attacks

When the majority of the workforce shifted to a work-from-home scheme in 2020, cybercriminals saw a big opportunity. They took advantage of the fact that not many systems are ready for remote work.

Remote work requires a device that the corporate IT department still manages. However, the usual case is that the employees are using their own computers to work from home.

These devices aren’t patched and secured by their company’s IT team. This becomes a vulnerability that threatens the whole network.

The existing network controls won’t be applicable or would be working at a lower capacity. Firewalls, for example, won’t be able to provide the same level of protection.

The staff might not take proper precautions when they work from home. They might also store sensitive data on their devices without proper security protocols. This is easier to access for hackers, and it provides an easy access point for the whole network.

The solution is to patch up the network and prepare it for remote work. Cybersecurity experts like Orbis Solutions, Inc. can strengthen it to fight against hackers. You can check out their website at https://www.orbissolutionsinc.com/.

3. Advance-Fee Scam

We’re all familiar with the Nigerian prince scam, which is still raking in hundreds of thousands of dollars yearly. The way it works is that the scammer poses as a Nigerian prince asking for help from random strangers via email. It doesn’t have to be a prince, though – it could be any powerful or rich person.

He promises a good amount of money in exchange for a small sum for the “processing fee” or some sort. He might also ask for your bank account information.

The actual issue and promised sum may differ, but the concept is the same. This is a popular example of an advance-fee scam, which has existed since after the French revolution. Back then, the scammers were non-existing noblemen who need help.

It’s centuries-old, yet it’s persisting in different variations. Today, the pandemic also brought a new twist to this classic scam.

You might have already received one – an email from a government-looking address. The scammer poses as a government official promising an economic stimulus payment. Of course, you would have to pay a fee first.

4. Cloud Breaches

With the rise of cloud usage for computing and storage, it’s no wonder that it has become a goldmine for hackers. The cloud infrastructure itself is secure, however. Still, some vulnerabilities will present themselves now and then.

The most common causes of a data breach are cloud misconfigurations. The customers implementing cloud solutions are in charge of configuring their network’s security features. They may fall short in this aspect, creating a hole that hackers can exploit.

While moving to the cloud offers many major benefits, a company should still take its time with the process. They must have the right IT expertise for this kind of move, as well. Otherwise, migrating too fast can create many security weaknesses.

5. Ransomware

Ransomware, like the name suggests, demands a ransom. It takes some or all data in your computer hostage using a data-encrypting program. To gain your access back, you have to pay a fee via an untraceable payment method, usually with Bitcoin.

What happens if you don’t pay? Ransomware usually has timers, during which you have to make the payment. If you fail to pay during that time, the usual case is that you’ll lose access to your data forever.

You can remove the malware, but the files will still be under encryption. Unless you decode the mathematical key known only by the attacker, you won’t be able to decrypt your files.

This is why ransomware is a very serious threat. It also has other variations, like leakware or doxware. This comes with a threat to make the contents of your computer public unless you pay the ransom.

Protect Yourself Against Cybersecurity Threats

For the average computer user, cybersecurity can be as simple as installing a good antivirus and anti-malware program into their devices, as well as ignoring suspicious links and emails. However, businesses need to invest in a good IT team to take care of their cybersecurity.

As evidenced by the latest cybersecurity threats, the attacks are evolving. As such, you need to keep updated on the latest trends. Check out the rest of our guides for more helpful information.