Cyber Attacks- Is it The New Normal?

It’s high time to understand the need for cybersecurity.

Many high-profile cyber attacks against government organizations, banks and businesses have occurred in recent months and made headlines of the news. Small and medium enterprises have also become a soft target for attackers due to their vulnerability to cyber attacks. The frequency of online attacks against organizations will continue to increase if a proper security measure is not taken. More attacks are invisible and pervasive. They are very hard to find, and even we found them, they are hard to accommodate.

As per a recent report, overall 32% of UK businesses and 22% of charities became the victim of cyber attacks or security encroachment last year.

Many banks fear security breaches due to third-party involvement as a big threat.

Businesses of all sizes are in danger due to cybercrimes but the small and medium organization is highly prone to attacks by cyber thieves and attacks are increasing daily. To make it even easier for intruders, very often the user will click on any link, access any website, or install any application that they want without thinking about any possible danger.

From a network security point of view, small companies don’t have time, expertise and money required to embolden their security. Besides, a small business owner thinks, “Why should I invest money on security? Why would hackers attack me? I’m just a small company with a few PCs and servers.

Many small businesses can’t adopt good securities measures due to lack of fund. But in today’s time where cyber-attacks are very rampant, it would be better to make your business more protected.

As far as lacking the fund is required, you can get the funding through instalment loans from direct lenders even if you have a bad credit score. There are many direct lenders who provide loans for businesses to grow. You can avail the loan from one.

Are We Well Prepared to Counter It?

New research indicates that 53% of UK businesses have increased their spending on cybersecurity in the last couple of years.

A report weighing up businesses of different sizes across seven countries found that UK firms had the lowest budget for cybersecurity.

The good news is that the government and companies are starting to take stock of the increasing threat and are investing funds to protect themselves. Following the aftermath of the 2017 WannaCry virus attack, the government has promised to allocate £150m for cybersecurity spending for the next three years.

A new cybersecurity operations cell will be created to help find and address attacks and breaches in a very fast way. This is really a positive indication by the government in addressing the issue.

Highly Advanced Attacks

Cybercrime is very unpredictable these days. We don’t know in which way it will come to us. So protecting ourselves from it is not a one-and-done job. It must be an important priority to address it on a regular basis.

These attacks are getting more advanced.  With things like remote access, attackers target smart devices like TVs, cameras, Smartphone, etc. Cybercriminals have become sophisticated and so in turn, a business should also be.

Security Is Essential

Opening the door to the digital world will give amazing results for a business, but it can be harmful if you leave the door open behind you. There are many reasons which can leave a business in danger due to a lack of security measures.

• Outsourcing of infrastructure like servers, network connectivity, etc.
• The way data is being stored and shared has been changed drastically. With the advent of cloud computing, almost everything is accessible remotely.
• Greater connectivity between numerous devices.
• Data is almost everywhere and it is no longer hidden behind a firewall.

These all can expose your business if you don’t take proper precautions. Companies should think about access management, DLP, data encryption, multi factors authentication, etc should be on priority.

Provide Training to Your Employees

One of the most critical attributes of a cybersecurity investment plan is to train your staffs about the unforeseen risks.

Users are the biggest danger to any company’s security. It has been argued that more than 95% of security incidents are due to human mistakes.

Many users believe that protecting against any cyber threat is the role of the IT department. But in reality security system can’t do much if users are not educated about potential risk such as links in spam mail, using the same password for a long time, etc. Business needs to invest in training.

With cyber threats on the rise, business needs to be more active in educating their employees. They should circulate concise and informative updates on regular intervals.

In conclusion, cybersecurity has come a long way since its inception. It has the potential to save your business from any loss of money and time. A well-formulated and customized security process can help you a lot. It can offer plenty of advantages to any business.