The United States government is in the news for the third time in two weeks regarding their cybersecurity. Not only did the government fail when the weapons program was tested, but now there have been two confirmed data breaches in two weeks. Of course, when the government suffers from cyber threats, it is well published information.

However, government is not the highest risk sector when it comes to cyber threats.

Despite most people assuming government and healthcare as the highest risk sectors, business continues to be the sector with the most data breaches and criminal activity.

So, where are the attacks coming from, and what can you do about it?

Mobile cyber threats

Mobile malware continues to surge. As the world increases in connectivity, cyber criminals are capitalizing on devices generally left unguarded.

Unfortunately, these same devices link into enterprise networks on a regular basis. This makes all mobile devices double agents that can drop damaging malware into your system at any moment.

Most people take for granted their phones are secured by OS updates, and in truth that would be accurate. If most mobile phones were updated regularly. A Symantec study found in 2017 on 20% of Android phones were up to date on their security patches.

That leaves 4 in 5 phones unsecured against cyber threats.

Just as an IT department should not delay in system updates, mobile devices need to be updated as soon as a patch is available.
Similarly, most phones have grayware apps that leak information. A grayware app is like spyware or adware found on computer systems. The app itself is not malicious; however, the app leaks private information such as phone numbers.

Ransomware

Despite development in all things tech, ransomware continues to be the tried and true form of disruption for companies. Despite the evolution of ransomware with worm-type infections of WannaCry and Peyta, mass mailing attacks continue to increase.

Plus, cybercriminals are becoming more business savvy. In 2017 the average ransom request stabilized at approximately $550. No longer interested in mass amounts of profit, hackers appear to have found the spot where companies are most likely to pay, making their model a sustainable business.

On top of ransomware increases, attacks designed to destroy data are increasing. Data destruction is now the purpose of 10% of cyber threats.

Active defense

While it might be easy to become nihilistic about data protection, businesses can take a lot of steps that will minimize cost and damage.

Yes, we said minimize. It’s unlikely a business will never suffer an attack. Accepting attacks exist in the landscape of business, then cybersecurity can become strategic. While none of these are new and have been discussed previously, they bear repeating until every business is utilizing every tool at their disposal to minimize cost and risk.

The first and foremost step any business needs to implement is continuous monitoring. While a cyber threat might break through the perimeter at any time, continuous monitoring will ensure quick response and correction.

This means fewer stolen records, and ultimately less cost overall for the business.

A second, and often missed protocol regarding security, is accurate data mapping and storage.

Mapping your data, and ensuring backups occur regularly and thoroughly, will protect the business from data destruction threats. Even in the case of ransomware, thorough knowledge of your data allows your business to sidestep the ransom with a system clean and rebooting.

Doing it alone

We say this over and over, and we will say it again. The biggest mistake businesses make is assuming they can handle cyber threats themselves. Even the government and tech giants like Facebook are realizing cybersecurity is a complicated, nuanced world unto itself.

On average cybercriminals outnumber cybersecurity staff. That number is quickly going from double to triple outnumbering.

The best thing a business can do is to partner with a company who specializes in cybersecurity, has the staff to handle threats, and who understands data mapping and storage. Not only does this protect the business, but it allows the business to focus on their strengths rather than keeping heads above water in cybersecurity. Find a partner you can trust, and don’t worry about the threats knocking at your door.

MobileWare is an expert in 24/7 data monitoring and mapping, protecting your business and making response quick and efficient.