04 Jan 13 Things About Cybersecurity You May Not Have Known
13. Mobile devices are difficult to manage and secure
This abundance and widespread use make mobile devices an appealing target for attackers. Targeting is not new but the real challenge comes from security teams not having full control over devices. Bring your own device (BYOD) policies are common but these policies often do not include internal control or management.
- Most cyber threats can be prevented.
There are numerous reports on companies, which have been attacked by hackers and lost significant revenue. While these threats look complex and sophisticated to an inexperienced eye, most of them can be prevented by establishing the right security measures.
- Poor email security poses major threats.
One of the main causes of poor company security is email messages. Often, malicious people will send phishing emails, which attempt to obtain confidential company information by installing malware into the network or redirecting to compromised domains.
- Mobile phones can cause security breaches.
More companies are relying on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets to perform operations out of the office. While this is efficient, a device without the right protective measures can be easily compromised through theft or hacking.
9. State-sponsored attacks
As more of the world moves to the digital realm, the number of large-scale and state-sponsored attacks are increasing. Networks of hackers can now be leveraged and bought by opposing nationstates and interest groups to cripple governmental and organizational systems.
8. IoT will present new security challenges.
The future of the business world is in the Internet of Things (IoT), which seeks to interconnect all digital resources. This integration will improve efficiency, but great expertise will be required to handle the new threats.
- Most companies avoid encryption.
Encryption is a well-known concept which is designed to prevent outsiders from reading confidential data if they do access it. Unfortunately, most companies favor this security measure but they have not implemented it into their organizations.
- Attacks cause loss of customer trust.
When hackers attack a company, the customers tend to lose trust in them. This is particularly true for enterprises, which are entrusted with financial information. Therefore, even if the company recovers their information, recovering their customer’s trust will be more difficult.
- Hacktivists—hacktivists are hackers who penetrate or disrupt systems for political or ideological reasons rather than financial gain.
- Downtime can cripple businesses.
Cyber-attacks cause downtime in business. A normal company will take time away to regroup and restore the systems. The downtime can be crippling because the time taken will allow customers to shift their attention to competitors.
- Employee negligence can compromise network security.
The most significant cyber threats come from hackers and their malicious software. However, employee negligence can contribute to the loss of data and security breaches. This aspect should be accounted for when setting up cyber security measures.
- IT security intelligence is underutilized.
Intelligence on cyber security threats is available on numerous platforms with IT professionals. However, this information is not utilized in most companies because technicians are unaware. As a potential specialist, you should know the importance of being aware.
- There is cyber security skills shortage.
While most businesses are using IT for daily tasks, numerous companies lack professionals to handle their security. This can be attributed to the shortage of cyber security experts.