Companies are increasingly at risk of offensive campaigns on the digital side. The impact
economic and reputational consequences of an attack on this front could have consequences
devastating for a company and its employees.
In this article we will look at some of the main indicators to consider to reduce your exposure to cyber threats and strengthen your standards of
safety.
What do criminal organizations want?
Small and medium-sized enterprises, including commercial entities defined as micro-enterprises, often do
they consider immune from digital risks, given their small size, which would not make them an attractive target in the eyes of cyber gangs. In fact, any business that has any of the assets listed below is potentially at risk:
● Data: Hackers can monetize company data quite easily since
medium-low turnover, simply by reselling them on the Dark web. We are talking about a variety of information such as personal or medical records, credit card data and others
payment systems or intellectual property.
● Computing power: IT networks of Italian SMEs could be used
simply as a tool for larger offensives. In fact, we've already seen cyber
gang create a real army made of other people's computers for the sole purpose of launching
DDoS attacks, generating a huge amount of Internet traffic to render a
digital service.
● Links: Small companies may have publicly partnered with
larger companies. These agreements do not go unnoticed by the most careful criminals who, in order to hit the "big fish", infiltrate the computer systems of the small company
hoping to be able to exploit the link for illegal purposes.
● Economic resources: the primary objective of any attack is still money. The
Ransomware attacks are easily monetized as they immediately affect the business, causing measurable economic damage, and offer a quick solution for a cash outlay. Often, these offensives are seen, with an entrepreneurial eye, as actions to generate cash flow and then aim for more important goals.
How to defend against these risks
Often, the answers to these threats are simpler than one might think. The small ones
companies that do not have large budgets for the cyber defense of their assets can rely on services that offer free VPNs to start anonymizing their presence on the network, exponentially raising their security standards without any initial cost. Just download a VPN service reliable and use it on all corporate devices connected to the network that contain assets of interest. Other effective defensive strategies can be:
● Constant updating of software: the installation of security patches does not
it potentially only causes performance improvements, but it does serve the purpose
principal of reducing security risks by addressing known vulnerabilities.
● Application of digital hygiene best practices: reuse of passwords and without
doubt one of the most common actions that can jeopardize the security of a network
corporate. Even if the reused password is not compromised, it is worth eliminating all password matches, using new and solid keywords, especially for corporate accounts.
● Train your resources: human error is often the basis of many violations of the
Informatic Systems. That's why the resources invested in training and practical tests related to
cyber threats are always well spent. Human capital has a measurable value: who
it does not invest in this sense, it risks paying dearly for this inattention.
● Apply active and passive protection systems: anti-ransomware and simple services
anti-virus can have a tremendous impact on the digital security side.
As for virtual extortion protection, backup systems are
certainly useful for quickly resuming business activities but if not enough
you do not want to suffer reputational damage. In that sense, proactive action is needed that constantly scans the dark web for possible clues about attack plans, strategies, compromised credentials, etc.
