58% of cyber attacks aka malware attack victims are categorized as small businesses.
The major reason for this is because small businesses tend to be unprepared, easy targets. Cyber threats target those who are least likely to put in the effort to protect themselves because they think it can’t happen to them.
In 2017, cyber attacks cost small and medium-sized businesses an average of $2,235,000.
What exactly is a cyber attack?
Simply put, a cyber attack is an attack launched from one computer (or multiple) to another computer or network.
Cyber attacks might be broken down into two broad types that each have a specific goal:
- Attacks where the goal is to disable the target computer or knock it offline.
A few examples of this type of attack:
Malicious code that renders your website unusable
Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks that make your website inaccessible to employees and customers alike
Viruses, worms or other code that deletes critical information on a business’ hard drives and other hardware
2. Attacks that are targeting your computers data.
Examples:
Your client’s private information such as credit card / payment information
Your company’s bank information
Your employees personal information / bank information
There are many ways that a hacker gains access to your information.
- Malware (malicious software) downloaded to a target computer that can do anything from steal data to encrypt files and demand ransom
- Phishing emails that are crafted to fool victims into giving up passwords or taking some other harmful action
- Denial of Service attacks, which overwhelm a web server with bogus traffic
- Man in the middle attacks, which fool the target computer into joining a compromised network
How can a cyber attack cause a business interruption? Hackers, thieves and other unauthorized individuals have become adept at exploiting weaknesses in a business’ computer system, whether through traditional hacking methods or social engineering. There are several types of attacks that could completely cripple your ability to perform normal business activities.
Contact us at Anastasi Insurance to learn more about how to protect yourself. Stay tuned for tomorrow’s article.
