Many small business owners are unaware that they are as vulnerable to cybercrimes as larger companies are. Studies have shown that about half of small businesses have had their security breached last year. In fact, cyber criminals consider small businesses as attractive targets. They store more sensitive and personal data than a one person business would and in addition, their cyber security is not as strong as a large enterprise.

Cybercrime Methods

Below are the most common methods used by cybercriminals for their attacks against businesses, large and small.

Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs) – In order to avoid detection, these attacks are carried out in several stages over an extended period of time, eventually breaching a network.

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) – A DDoS attack overwhelms the server of a company by overloading it with a massive number of simultaneous requests, causing its network or website to crash.

Insider – A current or former company employee who has administrative credentials may be able to access sensitive company data and share or use it without authorization.

Malware – A combination of two words, malicious and software, malware infiltrates computers to either obtain illegal access or cause damage.

Password – Three attack types for gaining access: 1) Brute Force makes numerous guesses automatically until successful. 2) Dictionary combines words in different combinations. 3) Keylogging records the keys typed by a user to steal login IDs and passwords.

Phishing – The most typical method used against small businesses, phishing gathers sensitive data, such as credit card information or login credentials, by using a fake website linked from an email that appears to have been legitimately sent by a company.

Ransomware – It is a malware variant that locks out a user from a computer and its data, only restoring access after money is paid. Another type threatens to publish private information unless the ransom demand is met.

Part 2 will discuss solutions and best practices for cyber security.

Alpha Engineering Business Support

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For affordable client-focused network consulting services and solutions, please call Alpha Engineering Associates today at (410) 295-9500.