It’s challenging to protect your company’s digital assets from cyber-attacks targeting users directly. IT security software can avert some attacks, but it can’t stop personal attacks directed at your employees.
The biggest threat to IT security today isn’t hackers targeting your company’s technical infrastructure, but attacks directly aimed at you as an employee or private person. We are directly or indirectly attacked through social manipulation and various phishing attacks on websites we visit or emails we receive.
Does This Apply to My Company?
The possibility of your business being hit by an attack is ever-present. Unless your business is completely detached from the Internet, our claim is you and most of your colleagues have already been attacked.
Types of Attack
There are several examples of cyber attacks that may hit your business. One of them is called “CEO Fraud”, in which a finance employee receives an email from “the CEO” telling them to make a payment to an account. The procedure and professionalism of these attacks vary, but attackers are becoming more skilled at finding the rights targets within a company and making credible formulations.
Another type of attack is the blackmail, specifically the webcam blackmail or “sextortion”. This is typically executed via threatening emails claiming to have sensitive or embarrassing information about you which will be made public unless you transfer money to their account.
The most common type of cyber attack is trying to trick the recipient into clicking on links in emails or on a website. This will launch a program containing malicious code or viruses. Another similar attack is tricking the recipient into giving up personal information or entering passwords.
How Can We Be Prepared?
In other words: You or your employees will be the ones who are initially exposed to an attack, not the company’s IT system. During a stressful day at work, someone may accidentally click on a link or open an attachment that should never have been opened.
Rather than stop using the Internet, you should realize that cyber-attacks will occur and make appropriate plans for how an event should be handled. Hire an expert on risk analysis and IT security if you need assistance in teaching your employees about IT security. Here are some talking points:
- Probable threats to your business
- Measures implemented to secure IT environment
- Specific actions for how events should be handled
- Why IT security should be taken seriously
- How to keep a watchful eye for abnormal events and deviations
- How to recognize a false email
- Procedure for warning should an attack occur
Keeping your digital assets safe is becoming more and more challenging because we are becoming more digitized. The most important step you can take is properly and regularly drilling your employees on IT security and cyber attacks following these basic talking points.
