Hundreds of thousands, and very likely millions of cyberattacks and data breaches are occurring worldwide every day, and no one is immune. Especially small business, which now account for 58% of attacks. Your business needs to protect its computers, networks, and systems, and secure your sensitive data. But how much do you know about the types of cybercriminal out there. This review discusses some of the current threats and what these cyber crooks are after.

Cybercrime Gangs

Online crime is a lucrative industry. Cybergangs go online to offer “crime as a service.” Their targets vary and can be spread out across the globe. In 2019, one international crime gang stole $100 million from more than 40,000 victims. That’s an average of around $2500 per victim.

These cyber crooks were found in the US, Bulgaria, Germany, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine. Victims included small businesses, law firms, international corporations, and nonprofits.

Now, well-established street gangs are turning their attention to cybercrime too.

Typically, well-funded and organized, cybergangs work long-term to mount large-scale attacks. They target banks, law firms, healthcare networks, and other big businesses.

However, small businesses can be targeted by cybercrime gangs too. You could be the first of the dominos to compromise a larger, more lucrative target in your supply chain.

State-based Actors

One country pays an individual or group to target another country. On the digital battlefield this could mean:

  • tampering with an election, like the 2016 presidential election in the USA.
  • infiltrating another country’s banking system and possibly stealing from the accounts.
  • compromising critical infrastructure like the electric grid or nuclear power plants.
  • accessing intelligence on the government or stealing business technology or data.
  • creating incidents of international significance.
  • engaging in propaganda and/or disinformation campaigns.
  • espionage.

Australia recently announced a “sophisticated state-based cyberattack” on political and private-sector organizations.

State actors also used cyber techniques to damage Iran’s nuclear program. They left an infected thumb drive in the parking lot. A well-meaning staffer found the USB and plugged it into the facility computers. The virus caused Iran’s fast-spinning centrifuges to go into overdrive, which destroyed them.

These attackers are often motivated by nationalism, but this doesn’t mean businesses are safe. A politically motivated cyber actor might target a hotel hosting an international convention or gain access to a government vendor to send false communications.

Lone Wolf

Also known as disorganized crime, this is the online equivalent of a petty thief. Many make their income stealing money from low-hanging targets, like small businesses. Cyber crooks know that small businesses don’t spend hardly anything on security.

Some Lone Wolves are only interested in proof-of-concept: hacking into businesses and governments to see if it’s possible, without doing any real damage once they’re inside. 

Social Engineer’s

Social engineering is the process of manipulating people into revealing confidential information that can be used to gain unauthorized access to a computer system or network. The process can include exploiting human kindness, greed, and curiosity to gain access to restricted access buildings or getting the users to install backdoor software. So, now the crooks can access your computer any time they want.

Are you really at risk?

According to ITSecurity.org on July15, 2020…

There was an increase in both cyberattacks and breaches during the past 12 months in the U.S. This has prompted increased spending in cyber defense, with U.S. businesses already using an average of more than nine different cybersecurity tools.

Here are some key survey findings from a recent industry survey, from U.S. respondents:

  • 92% said attack volumes have increased in the last 12 months,
  • 97% said their business has suffered a security breach in the last 12 months. The average organization said they experienced 2.70 breaches during that time,
  • 84% said attacks have become more sophisticated,
  • 95% said they plan to increase cyber defense spending in the coming year.
  • Operating System vulnerabilities are the leading cause of breaches, followed by web application attacks and ransomware.
  • US companies said they are using an average of 9 different security tools to manage their security program.

Now that you better understand why your business might be targeted, it’s time to take the necessary steps to protect your business.

  • Do you currently have a security plan in place?
  • Do you have any security hardware and/or software in place?
  • Do you have documented security policies in place? If you get breached, you better have documented security polices and have trained your team(s).
  • Do you currently back up of all your business-critical data?
  • Do you have an emergency action plan in place?
  • Do you have a business continuity plan in place?

HBBTech can help create/improve your cybersecurity protection, plans and policies. Let us partner with your business. Our team can set up layered security on your hardware, keep all your software up to date, provide email security and email archiving, control remote accessibility, scan for viruses, malware, and ransomware and lots more.

Contact HBBTech at (636) 542-8653 today!

HBBTech offer’s:

affordable services, including security solutions, backup and data recovery solutions, cloud-based business collaboration solutions, email management security and archiving, phone systems and asset tracking for insurance claims purposes.