Information is one of the most valuable assets of any business. However, as technology advances, so do the threats that can jeopardize corporate data, reputation, and financial stability. Cyberattacks are becoming more sophisticated, and their consequences are more catastrophic. For this reason, ensuring cybersecurity using various tools, including continuous threat intelligence services, is not just a recommendation, but a necessity for the sustainable development and competitiveness of a business.
What is Cybersecurity?
Cybersecurity is a system for protecting important information from digital hacker attacks by cybercriminals.
It includes measures to eliminate threats to which network systems are exposed. Large companies suffer from them, first of all (not only financially, but also reputationally). The consequences of insufficient security:
- destruction of important data;
- decrease in the efficiency of the company;
- theft of personal data, and intellectual property;
- the need to restore lost information and establish a security system;
- compensation for reputational damage to all those who suffered as a result of cyberattacks.
The responsibility for the cybersecurity of companies lies with the companies themselves, which are obliged to protect commercial secrets and the personal data of clients. The goal of cybersecurity is to prevent hackers from hacking servers, computer networks, applications, and electronic devices.
What Is Included in The Scope of Cybersecurity?
Cybersecurity technologies are used both on devices of ordinary users and in commercial organizations, at industrial enterprises. They include:
- Security of critical infrastructure – power grids, control systems, transport networks.
- Network security – protection of devices and applications connected to the Internet.
- Cloud security – protection of data, platforms, and online infrastructure.
- Security of user applications to prevent hacking and code theft.
- Training users to ensure that company employees comply with basic rules of digital hygiene.
- Disaster recovery in the event of potential threats.
- Operational security – preventing information from falling into the wrong hands.
- Data storage – encryption, lack of access to copies.
- Mobile security – protection of data stored on mobile devices.
- Absence of risks from the Internet of Things – devices connected to the network that are used in everyday life or business activities.
- Address protection, which is especially necessary if you can access the company’s network remotely.
Cybercriminals’ Goals
The main goal of cybercriminals is to steal data by hacking to sell it to competitors or demand a ransom. Most often, enterprises and government agencies suffer from such attacks. Stolen information is sold very easily. Usually, attackers use the following scenarios for this:
- Selling access to the computer networks of a certain enterprise or government agency.
- Withdrawal of money by forging payment orders.
- A cyberattack to steal data and then sell it.
- Blackmailing companies, when the attacker demands money for non-disclosure of confidential information they have received.
- Encryption of data and demanding a ransom for access to it.
- Disabling the company’s infrastructure (hacking is often used for this purpose in politics, the military industry, and in the field of global security of countries).
- Espionage ordered by competitors, which allows them to gain an advantage in the market.
- Using malicious viruses for education and entertainment.
Types of Modern Cybersecurity Threats
The most common cybersecurity threats to both individuals and businesses are:
- Malware, which contains multiple files that are infected and capable of causing harm to a computer. Primarily, these are viruses that damage computer systems or gain unauthorized access to confidential information, damaging its integrity.
- Ransomware, which locks important files or processes and extorts money from users to unlock them.
- Phishing, or social engineering, is an attack on users to obtain confidential information (such as credit card passwords). Phishing usually involves sending emails that look like messages from authoritative sources or advertisements. The main goal of sending phishing emails is to steal confidential data.
- Insider risks, which include employees and partners, including former ones, who have access rights and the ability to hack corporate records and security systems.
- DoS attack (Denial of Service), in which one system sends malicious requests that make the service impossible. If there are several such senders, these are DDoS attacks. DoS and DDoS attacks are most often carried out on government agencies.
- Stalker malware is software that is sold as legal but is used to spy on users.
- Supply chain attacks. Fraudsters hack the software of one company and gain access to the programs of another.
- AI-based attacks, when artificial intelligence is trained using deliberately false data.
- Cryptojacking is the theft of device resources for cryptocurrency mining.
- Man-in-the-Middle is the interception of data during its transmission from the sender to the end recipients.
- Spoofing is the creation of clones of domains or programs that unsuspecting users mistake for the originals and enter their data into them.
- Backdoors. Penetration into a system to steal stored data. Malicious codes can be embedded in programs, hardware, or files stored on a computer.
- Typosquatting/cybersquatting. This attack involves a hacker registering domain names that are very similar to authoritative sites, with the expectation that the user will make a careless mistake when entering the site name (for example, putting a period).
- SQL injection. Exploiting vulnerabilities in applications to obtain data.
Technologies Used to Ensure Cybersecurity
Hackers are constantly creating new methods, so businesses are forced to look for new technologies aimed at solving the security problem.
The measures taken include:
- Securing critical infrastructure to ensure public interest.
- Preventing hackers from hacking computers.
- Protecting applications running on-premises or in cloud servers.
- Cloud security in storage, during processing or transmission.
- Information security of confidential data.
- Creating tools for rapid disaster recovery from scratch in case of attacks.
Artificial intelligence is widely used today to improve cybersecurity. Its implementation occurs in three main areas:
- Detection of threats and new risks.
- Automatic launch of protection tools.
- Freeing up human resources through automation.
To Conclude!
Data drives business and protection against cyber threats is becoming a fundamental task. Using Dark Web Monitoring services, continuous threat intelligence service and other modern AI solutions allow companies not only to prevent cyber attacks but also to maintain the trust of customers, partners, and investors. Caring for cyber security is not a one-time measure, but a long-term strategy that forms the basis for a successful and sustainable business. If you are looking for a reliable provider of cyber threat intelligence solutions, we recommend paying attention to ImmuniWeb.