A Guide to Business Cybersecurity: Common Digital Attacks and Precautions

Businesses have been increasing the amount of technology they integrate into their workflows. In America, 94% of businesses use technology to improve efficiency.

Virtual tools allow them to complete tasks quickly and accurately with fewer resources. However, these employed processing and storage techniques are prone to cyberattacks that can corrupt a business’s electronic system, resulting in data and money loss and a negatively impacted reputation. Companies must implement the best cybersecurity practices and solutions for smooth and secure business operations.  

Cybersecurity entails securing your data, servers, programs, and systems against external and internal attacks in network security. Here is a guide to help you understand various cybersecurity vulnerabilities and how to implement protective measures against them. 

What Are Common Types of Cyberattacks Businesses Experience?

To protect your system against different types of cyberattacks, you must understand the various kinds, their origin, and the harm they can do. Here are the more common risks to keep in mind:

Password Guessing Attacks

A password-guessing attack entails hackers trying to guess an organization’s usernames and passwords. The sample information they use comes from previous data and cloud security breaches, which occur when employees keep the same weak or default passwords for multiple logins and command servers. Hence, the credentials are easy to remember.

To avoid password-guessing attackers, encourage employees to use unique and complex passwords with a mixture of letters and numbers. Advise them to type the password when logging into the company’s servers rather than having the system remember it. It’s also best to introduce a password-changing policy where everyone must reset their passwords after a set period.

Organizations should also use password cracking, or the technique of retrieving passwords from encrypted data stored in or communicated by a computer, to help identify easily hackable passwords and test passwords to create stronger ones. Many great open-source password-cracking network security toolkits are available to assist.

Distributed Denial of Service Attacks

Distributed Denial of Service attacks (DDoS) occur when a hacker paralyzes an organization’s system with a massive influx of fake activity, such as messages, requests, and web traffic. DDoS attacks are made through malware-infected, interconnected devices (computers, servers) on botnets. This attack weakens business cybersecurity measures, allowing hackers to access data.

Identifying DDoS attacks is challenging because their symptoms, like slower servers, are confused with regular high traffic. On closer inspection, the fake activity comes from one IP address and occurs at odd hours of the day. You can eliminate these types of cyberattacks by creating a black hole to remove the fake traffic or limit the requests a server receives in a certain period.

Malware Attacks

Malware attacks are when hackers infiltrate software through private networks to access information. Some types of malware attacks include:

• Keyloggers: These track the information users type with keyboards, such as passwords and Social Security Numbers. 
• Ransomware entails encrypting vital data where the hacker forces users to pay a ransom to access it. If their demands are unmet, they threaten to delete, sell, or publish it on the dark web. 
• Spyware: This monitors a user’s online activity, like web browsing, to gather personal information for hackers. It can also hack into webcams and turn them on to collect sensitive and identifiable information.
• Adware: Also known as spam, adware is relatively harmless. It decreases the performance of your computer but can download other harmful malware without your knowledge. 

Malware attacks enter networks through viruses, trojan horses, and worms. They spread quickly in interconnected systems, but you can eliminate them through updated antivirus software and proper authentications. 

Phishing Attacks

In phishing attacks, hackers deceive employees through fake websites and emails to release private information, such as login credentials, credit card numbers, and Social Security information. Threat actors disguise themselves as trusted agencies, like banks, to obtain sensitive information. In a survey, 57% of organizations reported facing successful online or email phishing attacks. 

Spear phishing attacks are personalized to target a specific organization or person, creating emails using their names to make it harder to distinguish them. Authentication software and awareness programs can reduce the chances of victimizing such cyberattacks. 

Business Cybersecurity Best Practices

Many businesses use outsourced IT support to implement the best cybersecurity practices. These third-party companies are skilled in managing and updating cybersecurity elements to guarantee data and network security. If you want to save money, consider applying cybersecurity yourself. Here are the most essential, best cybersecurity practices businesses need to prevent most cyberattacks. 

Use a Secure OS

It is no secret that the OS you choose is a key determinant of your security online. After all, your OS is the most critical software running on your computer, managing memory, processes, software, and hardware. Experts agree that Linux is a highly secure OS and, arguably, the most secure OS by design. Some key factors that contribute to Linux being a more secure OS than Windows for businesses include:

• The Open-Source Security Advantage: Linux source code undergoes constant, thorough review by members of the vibrant, global open-source community so that any cybersecurity vulnerabilities in Linux can be identified and eliminated rapidly. 
• A Superior User Privilege Model: Unlike Windows, where “everyone is an admin,” Linux greatly restricts root access through a strict user privilege model. Because Linux users have low automatic access rights and require additional permissions to open attachments, access files, or adjust kernel options, spreading malware and rootkits on a Linux system is harder. 
• Built-In Kernel Security Defenses: The Linux kernel offers a selection of built-in security defenses, including firewalls that use packet filters in the kernel, the UEFI Secure Boot firmware verification mechanism, the Linux Kernel Lockdown configuration option, and the SELinux or AppArmor Mandatory Access Control (MAC) security enhancement systems. Admins can add layers of data and network security to their systems by enabling these features and configuring them during Linux kernel self-protection. 
• Security through Diversity: A high level of diversity is possible within Linux environments due to the many Linux distributions (distros) available and the different system architectures and components featured. This diversity helps satisfy users’ requirements and can protect against different types of cyberattacks by making it difficult for adversaries to efficiently craft exploits in network security that can be used against a wide range of Linux systems.
• Highly Flexible & Configurable: There are vastly more configuration and control options available to Linux admins than to Windows users, many of which can be used to enhance security. For instance, Linux sysadmins have the ability to use SELinux or AppArmor to lock down their system with security policies offering granular access controls, providing a critical additional layer of security throughout a system. 

Despite the key benefits Linux offers, it is crucial to remember Linux is not a “silver bullet” in security. The OS must be correctly and securely configured, and sysadmins must practice secure, responsible administration to prevent attacks on network security.

Use Antivirus Software

Antivirus software scans, detects and removes known malware from a computer. It runs in the background and occasionally pops up to notify you of potential network security threats from a website, download link, or hardware. However, since new malware codes constantly appear, ensuring your antivirus software is constantly updated is crucial. 

Use a Firewall & a VPN

A firewall is a barrier between an organization’s network and the public internet. It constantly monitors and filters traffic into the personal network according to your organization’s data and network security policies. In simpler words, firewalls ensure that different types of cyberattacks, like DDoS, do not enter the organization. Like antivirus software, you must regularly update firewalls to prevent newer network security threats. 

Firewalls also perform NAT and VPN functions. Network Address Translation (NAT) hides IP addresses, allowing users to access the internet with more security and privacy. In contrast, a Virtual Private Network (VPN) creates a tunnel between private and public networks, ensuring that the data packets shared remain secure. 

Use Two-Factor Authentication

Two-factor authentication (2FA) is an extra layer of protection used after you enter your username and password. The second authentication check can be one of three types:

• Something you know: This can be a personal PIN or question, such as the name of your first pet. 
• Something you have: This includes verification through something users would often have. For example, you can gain access by entering a one-time passcode (OTP) sent to your phone. 
• Something you are: This authentication includes fingerprints, eye scans, and voice prints.

Invest in Security Awareness and Training Programs

You must train your employees regarding the best cybersecurity practices so they can be aware of common hacking and phishing attacks and techniques. Since employees are the first defense against specific cyberattacks, preparing them can protect your organization’s data, network security, and all your business systems.  

You should also instruct employees not to plug unknown devices into PCs, download unknown or unsafe files, open spam emails on the business’s computers, or enter their passwords on random websites to avoid malware attacks. Similarly, employees must use different computers for payment processing and web surfing to prevent identity theft incidents. 

Your employees must have the right platform to report cloud security breaches, such as suspicious emails they receive or a sudden increase in server traffic. The IT department must promptly address such concerns to ensure these cyberattacks are not established or spread. 

What Should I Do After a Cyberattack? 

Despite your best efforts, your system can still be susceptible to cyberattacks. As soon as the attack is identified, you must contain it. Disconnect your computers from the internet and isolate essential computers from the interconnected devices. As an extra precaution, consider changing the sensitive file passwords. You can also configure additional email authentication methods like MTA-STS to prevent man-in-the-middle attacks like TLS downgrades and DNS spoofing on future attacks.

You must then identify the attack’s source. The network connections at the time will help your IT department understand any cybersecurity vulnerabilities that would have allowed the threat to bypass security measures and what further improvement they require. 

You must also analyze the information you lost and take measures accordingly. For example, if you lose payment processing credentials, you must report the incident to law enforcement agencies and change your passwords. Be transparent about the cyberattack with clients, as their data and network security may also be compromised. 

Final Thoughts on Business Cybersecurity

Data is essential for businesses, allowing companies to make informed decisions that increase profit margins. A greater reliance on technology also makes businesses susceptible to different types of cyberattacks, like the ones mentioned in this guide, so safeguarding data is a must, albeit complex.

You can independently apply the best cybersecurity practices, like choosing a secure OS, using antivirus software and firewalls, and two-factor authentication to protect your business’s sensitive data. Without the proper experience and knowledge, your business will remain susceptible to attacks on network security. Hiring trained IT professionals or considering outsourcing to a cybersecurity provider is best. They will ensure your data and network security measures are constantly updated, and your employees are trained in security protocols.