As discussed in Part 1, the data breaches that plagued companies of every sector in 2019 will continue through the summer of 2020 and beyond. Take a cost-effective proactive approach and work with a Managed Services Provider to strengthen your IT infrastructure against cybersecurity threats. Part 2 will discuss Phishing Attacks, Deepfakes, and Strategy.

Phishing Attacks

An old and effective standby of cybercriminals, phishing attacks continue to wreak havoc at both private and public institutions. As security gaps persist due to the lack of employee training, phishing attacks remain in the top five cyberthreats for 2020. Verizon found that 90 percent of the data breaches they investigated had either a phishing or social engineering aspect. Just a single worker clinking on a fake link can lead to a costly loss of data to a cybercriminal.

Deepfakes

Numerous experts are warning that the general public will begin noticing the use of deepfakes for malicious purposes. Cybercriminals may begin using them for phishing attacks. Organizations may use the technology for fake news campaigns to influence elections. Deepfake technology may be offered by criminal organizations to perpetrate fraud through the use of synthetic identities that fool their victims. Public service announcements warning people against the fraudulent use of technology may become necessary in the future. As deepfakes improve, cybercriminals may start using the technology in coordination with social engineered video attacks intended to gain the trust of victims by featuring fabricated characters.

Strategy

As cyberthreats become increasingly sophisticated, businesses will need to rely more on the help of IT security experts. Your cybersecurity strategy must be well-planned and proactive to keep pace with the trends. Even a small company should begin training employees on how to prevent phishing and social engineering attacks from succeeding. Implementing a strong password policy is another basic step that should be taken.
Alpha Engineering Business Support
Choosing an expert computer technology-support provider is an important decision for your business. Alpha Engineering Associates has been a trusted partner of many companies in the Washington, Baltimore and Annapolis areas since 1990 and offer:
• 24/7 Managed Services for Business Computing Systems
• Network and Mobile Computing Support
• Disaster Recovery Planning
• Software Development
For affordable client-focused network consulting services and solutions, please call Alpha Engineering Associates today at (410) 295-9500.