As discussed in Part 1, companies are afraid of cyber attacks that are often different from the most dangerous attacks. Part 2 will cover Threats from Social Media, Neglected Software Patching, and Advanced Persistent Threat. Consult with an experienced and expert managed IT services firm to protect your company.

Threats from Social Media

An attack on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn typically come as a request to connect or install an app. This results in providing access to a company’s account, and the cyber criminals exploit stolen passwords from its social media site and network.

Ongoing employee education and training covering social media threats is the most effective prevention. Implementing two-factor authentication will also improve security. Reporting hacked social media accounts when they do occur is also crucial.

Neglected Software Patching

Neglected software patching results in creating vulnerabilities cyber criminals can exploit. Alarmingly, many organizations continue to neglect software patching even though zero-day exploit attacks are widely publicized.

Updates for computer operating systems and the most common programs like Microsoft Office should be immediately installed to ensure the latest protection. A company’s IT staff should make this standard policy for every machine in the organization.

Advanced Persistent Threat (APT)

A continuous process managed remotely by hackers, APT can steal data, including e-mails and other intellectual property, from a company. For deployment, cyber criminals favor a technique called spearphishing through e-mails sent to several employees. Each has a Trojan attachment, and the attack relies on one employee being fooled into running the malware. Once this person’s computer is compromised, an APT attack can take over the entire network of a company.

Although stealthy APT activities are challenging to detect, the network traffic from the command and control of hackers is detectable at the network layer level. However, security experts consider “defense-in-depth” as the most effective protection through staff and contractor vetting, monitoring controls, effective access management, and defined compartmentalization of crucial data assets.

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