It’s reasonable to assume that no one has had it easy recently, especially business owners who have been under a lot of stress. Even though these additional worries take up a lot of time and energy, the security of your data must always be at the top of your list of business-related considerations.
Despite this, most business owners are unaware that one of the biggest daily risks they confront is the rapidly growing cyber threat. This is particularly accurate in light of the Covid-19 outbreak. The dynamic digital work environment of the modern workplace is what motivates this, since technological advancements also give rise to increasingly advanced cyberattack methods.
Cybercriminals have taken advantage of the Coronavirus pandemic’s attention of the general population and, most importantly, corporate owners to target them when they are most vulnerable.
Your IT system is probably going to be the secret to your success, regardless of the industry in which your business operates. It includes all of the vital equipment, private information, communication routes, and operational components of your business. However, it is under attack! Whatever it takes, cybercriminals will try anything to get their hands on your data.
Small enterprises are not immune from risk
Just because your business is modest it doesn’t mean that you are safe from attacks. Contrary to popular belief, being small makes you seem like a more appealing target since people presume you would lack necessary defences, finance, and technical infrastructure. Would you rather risk failing in an attack on a large organisation with strong defences or would you choose to go after a tiny organisation that is grossly underprepared and has weak or non-existent defences? I know which one I would choose.
Securing Microsoft 365
There are many different tools, guidelines, and policies available on the market as well as IT user education tools that must be embraced to ensure the safety of you and your team. Small businesses have been working hard to provide protection against internal cyberattacks. But potentially because of limited knowledge or because there are so many tool options available, they typically just pick the best priced option, which can be a risky course to pursue. Is this sufficient to safeguard your systems? Most businesses start out with firewall configuration, password policies, and antivirus software.
The Security Risks of Email
Email is one of the few constants in the modern technological world. Although, in the modern world, there are more effective alternatives to corporate communication, it has a long and illustrious history as the apex of commercial communication.
Cybercriminals prey on our reliance on email and our ignorance of the potential problems that can result from it to target specific user accounts and trick them into surrendering access to or handing over control of company cash.
It is becoming more and more challenging to tell a malicious email from a valid one. Two of the most common phishing scams are when online predators impersonate other organisations in order to pressure their target into providing them with information.
Masked as a brand or company
Although this kind of assault has always been widespread, it has recently become much more popular, in part due to the pandemic. HM Revenue & Customs was the target of the pandemic’s largest and most ambitious impersonation attack by tempting their targets with tax incentives and assistance funds, which many individuals during the epidemic were in dire need of. Thanks to this cybercriminals preyed on the wants and concerns of the population.
Masked as a company employee or director
Although less common, this technique is still one of the main methods cybercriminals are successfully carrying out cyberattacks.
A bold move, but considering how cunning hackers are, it might also be one of the most successful. Online attacks on major organisations have been carried out by criminals pretending to be the finance director. One way they do this is to ask for money to be transferred to an account in an email to the financial team that appears to be coming from the CFO’s personal inbox. Why wouldn’t you the pay money, especially if the email has a complete “E” signature? If the email had the required “E” signature and seemed to be from a reputable source, anyone without the required training would fall for it.
Ransomware – The dangers
The internet is full of malware (vicious software), and Ransomware is particularly nasty. Using a secure key that only the cyber attacker has to encrypt your files, ransomware aims to block you from accessing data. The cybercriminal steals your data and holds it for ransom (hence the name Ransomware).
Need help securing your Microsoft 365?
Because Office 365 is so crucial to businesses, Blucando is here to help you secure it. Please get in touch with us right away if you need assistance.
This Article was written by Ben F
As one of our co-founders, Ben has a strong passion for helping companies achieve greater alignment between their business and technology. With his expertise, he helps businesses overcome operational goals and hit their growth ambitions by delivering clear, jargon-free language that is commercially focused. With a keen eye for risk and compliance challenges, Ben’s dedication to his craft has earned him a reputation as a trusted advisor to many organizations. His ability to simplify complex technical concepts into practical and actionable insights has enabled him to make a positive impact on businesses of all sizes.
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