The Top Ways Businesses Are Affected by Cyber Attacks

No matter what kind it is, cybercrime is extremely dangerous for your business. Each day, hackers are finding new ways to access important information and records from businesses across the globe. As a business owner, it’s more important than ever to learn about the security risks that are out there and enact a plan to help keep your organization secure. The cybersecurity experts at Internal Computer Services have assembled this guide to help you learn about how cybercrime can affect your business.

The Most Common Attacks

• Malware: Malware is a term that describes any malicious software that may have unknowingly been installed onto a device. It can take on many different forms including spyware, ransomware, viruses, worms, trojan horses and adware. Malware is one of the most common methods used by cybercriminals today.

• Identity Theft: We all know the dangers of individual identity theft. For businesses, identity theft can take on a whole new meaning. If the identity of the business itself is stolen, criminals can falsify documents, credentials, communicate with clients and gain access to important information, all at the detriment of the business itself. By committing business identity theft, cybercriminals can gain access to much more information than they would if they were to attack an individual.

• Phishing: This form of cyber attack occurs when an individual or group of cybercriminals posing as a legitimate business attempt to gain access to your business via email, telephone, or text message. Having an employee click a bogus link or give company information out over the phone can put you, your business, your employees and your clients all at risk of falling victim to cybercrime.

• Social Engineering: Similar to phishing, social engineering attacks target specific individuals within your organization and trick them into giving away vital information by slowly creating a trusting relationship with an employe before tricking them into giving away secure information. These attacks are often ongoing and involve repeated contact with an individual or group of individuals who appear to represent a legitimate organization.

• DoS Attacks (Denial-of-Service): A DoS, or Denial of Service attack, is one in which the cybercriminals attempt to take down a website, network, or server by flooding it with information. When this is done successfully, attackers can prevent legitimate users like customers and employees from accessing the down network.

The Effects of Cybercrime

• Stolen Information: One of the worst things about cybercrime against businesses is that it often results in the theft of valuable information and ideas. From employee and customer records to invaluable business plans and future growth initiatives, cybercriminals can steal virtually any information that is held on the devices within your business. If this information gets into the wrong hands it can be used to steal your client and employee identities or to bring down your business by sharing valuable company information with competitors. Losing your company’s ideas and future plans can cause a huge loss of money for your company.

• Damaged Reputation: Cybercrime is quite messy and is terrible for your business’s image. If your business falls victim to a cyber breach and client information is exposed, your clients will develop a distrust for your business. In fact, studies have shown that after a cyber breach, 95% of people surveyed said they would seek legal action as a result. What’s more, that same survey found that almost all customers would not work with the organization again after falling victim to a data breach.

You can’t afford to lose “almost all” or 95% of your customers as a result of a cyber breach.  That’s why the professionals at Internal Computer Services offer around-the-clock support to keep your business protected from cybercriminals at all times. If you have any concerns about your cybersecurity or the cyber security of your organization, contact Internal Computer Services. Our team of professionals can offer around-the-clock monitoring and support to help ensure that you and your business are well-protected against cyber threats. Call us today at 804-672-1057.