Here are Some Basic Categories of Security Threats and Issues Facing SMBs

It seems like with every day that passes, there is a new sinister cyberthreat to worry about, and it’s crucial that businesses learn as much as possible about how to keep themselves safe as they can. There is simply too much at stake not to. That said, there are broad categories that most threats will fall under. Today, we’re going to explore them.

We harp on and on about security enough that our readers likely already have a baseline level of security understanding for relatively simple threats like viruses and malware. We’re focusing today on the more broad characteristics of threats and how they operate—particularly since most new threats take an old one and adapt it in some new and devastating way.

Social Engineering and Phishing Schemes

Today’s advanced cybersecurity solutions are pretty good at keeping threats out of systems and quickly discovering those that do manage to make their way through, but this is why most attacks these days utilize phishing and social engineering strategies to bypass your best security measures. Some threats will use phishing tactics to get users to willingly hand over credentials themselves, download infected attachments, or click on malicious links. Be sure to train your team on how to handle these potential issues.

Ransomware and Other Types of Data Theft

Ransomware is one of the biggest threats in today’s cyberthreat landscape, and an unprepared business could easily find itself with no way to recover from an attack. Ransomware will encrypt files on your network or outright steal them, only returning access to the user when they pay a ransom. If the user fails to pay up, they might threaten—and actually follow through on that threat—to leak data online, which is both a PR and regulatory nightmare. Generally speaking, data backup and disaster recovery, as well as proactive security solutions, are the best tools to combat ransomware and data breaches.

Password Theft and Other Access Control Vulnerability

Limiting access to data is one of the best ways to keep it safe from prying eyes. One way you can do this is by implementing password policies that force users to use long, complex passwords that are over 12 characters and include upper and lower-case letters, numbers, and special symbols. You can also segment off parts of your network by user role, and resolve potential vulnerabilities that would allow threats to slip through undetected.

Take Ownership of Your Network Security

Security is vital to running any successful business, and you cannot take it lightly. We encourage you to contact us at Washington Works for a free network security audit. We’ll look at ways you can improve your security infrastructure to safely navigate the extremely rewarding world of entrepreneurship. To learn more, call us at 301-571-5040.