Security
Securing information is becoming more important than ever. Damages from cybercrime are expected to exceed $6 trillion annually by 2021. Malware is constantly evolving; DDoS attacks are on an exponential rise and ransomware is no longer just a threat to enterprise organizations, but to every company that is online.
With state-sponsored cyberattacks growing in frequency and sophistication and threat actors being governments and professional organizations who focus on hiring the best talent, the profile of a cybercriminal is no longer an early-twentysomething hacking from his mother’s basement.
It goes without saying, the cybersecurity field is in HIGH demand. There is a negative unemployment rate and a huge skills gap with an expected shortage of 2 million positions by 2019. Only one in three IT leaders believe they have the skills in-house to address their needs. That means demand for security professionals and solutions is only growing and it comes from businesses of all sizes and industries.
The biggest vulnerabilities companies face include:
DDoS Attacks
A distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack is an attempt to block an online service by flooding it with traffic. You may be familiar with last year’s DDoS attack on Dyn which disrupted thousands of sites across the US and Europe. For any company that has a mostly online presence like an ecommerce retailer or someone who captures leads online, a DDoS attack could be very costly to their business.
Malware
Short for malicious software, malware comes in a number of forms from viruses and worms to spyware and Trojans, all designed to be undetected and transmit personal data. Credit card numbers still have their value but it is pennies compared to the premium paid for healthcare records on the black market. These threat actors make their way in through social engineering, outdated software, EOL machines, non-password protected IoT devices and basic human error.
Ransomware
Ransomware happens as a result of social engineering and phishing schemes and attempts to extort money out of victims by locking them out of their files. No matter how smart people are, they do stupid things like click an email from a “Nigerian Prince”.
Social Engineering and Human Error
Referenced as a cause for all the items listed above, human error happens. The best line of defense against these cyberthreats is well trained personnel. As attacks become more sophisticated, even the most email-savvy employees fall victim to social engineering. Poor password hygiene and incomplete exit strategies for departing employees also leave companies in vulnerable positions.
So where to start? We are here to educate and work together on a strategic road-map. Let’s start with a no obligation security assessment.