2021 was a hard year for cyber attack activity, but it’s possible that 2022 is shaping up to be even more challenging. Cyber security experts are weighing in on steps to take to reduce the risk of getting hit by an attack.
According to CheckPoint Research, in 2021 there were more than 100,000 malicious websites and 10,000 malicious files circulating daily. Nearly 90% of organizations have had some sort of cyber exploit experience or attempted exploit occur, and 46% have had one employee download a malicious mobile application. These are some troubling stats, so what do the experts say about protecting your environment from threats?
Access Point Control
Ransomware is among the most pervasive types of attacks out there, closely followed by phishing and advanced persistent threats. These types of attacks are popular because they all rely on access points that cyber criminals can easily exploit.
The criminals associated with this activity are called “initial access brokers” because they sell credentials to other cyber criminals. They are typically able to exploit your company’s data and systems, often for long periods of time while going unnoticed. That’s why having your IT team work on controlling access points is so vital to staying protected.
Visibility Improvements
When companies ignore their vulnerabilities, taking a head-in-the-sand approach, they are setting themselves up for failure. Rather than look the other way, cyber security experts say you should have constant visibility into all your digital activities.
Improving visibility has become more challenging with ongoing remote and hybrid work environments introducing more complexity into monitoring and visibility. But even more problematic may be the mindset that security teams take after implementing a new security tool, checking that item off the list and considering visibility handled.
You can only protect assets that you are monitoring. This includes looking at your traffic and having the technology in place to spot anomalies. IT teams that track everything know what normal versus abnormal activity looks like and can get ahead of an event before it becomes a threat. It also requires a constant push forward to continually improve visibility as an ongoing process.
Work With Professionals
Cyber security is becoming more of a priority for businesses of all sizes, but companies will continue to lose money to ransomware demands as organizations struggle to figure out the best cyber attack prevention efforts.
One way to approach building a sounder strategy is to bring in a third-party professional to assist you. That’s what we do at Independent Connections. We manage your IT so you can manage your business.
From infrastructure to cloud to IT, we bring you the technology that is a custom fit for your unique needs. If it’s cyber security expertise you’re looking for, we can help there as well. Contact us and learn more about what we bring to the table.