Hacking is a broad term that is frequently misused. It typically refers to any attempt, often malicious, to gain control of your company’s systems or data in modern parlance. In reality, cybercriminals can “hack” your accounts, devices, and networks using a variety of methods, some of which do not require any technical knowledge.
Given the number of companies that have been hacked just this year, it is safe to say that cyberattacks are a matter of “when,” not “if.” No matter how much a company invests in cybersecurity software, it will never be completely safe from hackers, who are constantly devising new ways to gain access to a company’s network. As a result, having proper cyber crisis management strategies in place in your organization is critical. This should include a plan of action in the event that your company is hacked.
Here are some of the common ways businesses get hacked;
- Social engineering.
Social engineering occurs as a result of the human instinct to trust. Cybercriminals have discovered that a well-crafted email, voicemail, or text message can persuade recipients to transfer money, provide confidential information, or download a file that installs malware on the company network.
Not all hacking attempts necessitate technical expertise. Other methods, such as social engineering, are used by some cybercriminals to obtain employee passwords and privileged information. They may call your employees and pose as a representative from a third-party app you use in order to persuade them to hand over their password.
- Password reset flaws
Some hackers take advantage of a website’s password reset feature to gain access to one of your employees’ accounts. Most websites and apps, thankfully, have security measures in place to prevent this from happening. Nonetheless, it only takes one vulnerability from one site to compromise your security.
- Wi-Fi networks that are not secure
Wi-Fi networks that are not secure are major sources of vulnerability. If a hacker gains access to your Wi-Fi network, they could potentially gain access to all incoming and outgoing network traffic. Fortunately, most of these attacks can be avoided with a strong password and high encryption standards.
- Malicious Codes
If your employees click a shady download link, they may end up downloading malware that infects your entire network. This also includes downloading malware-infected email attachments. You can train your employees to be wary of these types of links, but they are not always obvious.
- Phishing and DDoS attacks
DDoS attacks are also known as “distributed denial of service” attacks. They frequently use bots or other forms of traffic to overload your servers, preventing them from functioning properly and, in some cases, preventing your customers from using your services. A dedicated hacker, for example, could use a DDoS attack to make your site inaccessible.
DDoS attacks can be mitigated in a variety of ways, including filtering DDoS traffic, relying on dynamic DNS allocation, and employing load balancing strategies to redistribute heavy traffic.
Conclusion
Some hacks occur when the login credentials of one of your team members are compromised. This is frequently accomplished through phishing schemes, which impersonate a legitimate, trustworthy source in order to trick your employees into entering their usernames and passwords. A skilled hacker, for example, could create a landing page similar to the login page you’re used to and capture the keystrokes entered by an employee.
Improving the cybersecurity of your business requires more than just installing better antivirus software or a stronger firewall. Instead, you’ll need a comprehensive approach, and the first step in putting that plan into action is understanding and acknowledging the variety of threats that could disrupt or jeopardize your business. Educate yourself and your employees on these common threats.