Research shows that the number of data breaches in 2021 surpassed the ones in 2020 by 17 percent. With the rapid advancement and increased availability of technologies, hackers are getting more skilled at obtaining online data. Because of this, it is essential to understand the potential risks these hackers pose and how we ought to adequately address them if they occur..
To help, we’ve prepared a list of the most common cybersecurity risks people could faced.
Poor password hygiene
Research on common passwords by country shows that poor password hygiene is a universal problem with no geographical barrier. People struggle with memorizing long and unique credentials, and they choose to reuse a few of their favorite passwords across several accounts. Those passwords often include personal information that is highly predictable and could lead to severe data leakage. People are neither familiar with the potential consequences of sharing their credentials with others, nor do they know how to store them adequately.
Phishing
Verizon’s 2021 Data Breach Investigations Report shows that phishing played an essential role in 36 percent of data breaches. In phishing, a hacker poses as a trusted party and lures a victim into opening an email or an SMS containing a malicious link or file. Even though everyone can become a target of these attacks, cybercriminals often target companies and organizations because they have access to a significant amount of valuable data. Therefore, corporations should educate their staff on detecting phishing emails to prevent further damage.
Ransomware
Even though ransomware is a well-known security menace, hackers are still manage to stay one step ahead of everyone and wreak havoc across cyberspace. This trend only increased during the COVID-19 pandemic when the number of malicious emails increased by 600 percent. Ransomware is designed to encrypt users’ valuable data and deny them access to encrypted files. Hackers will then demand substantial payments from users, most commonly in crypto, to restore their data. Unfortunately, a significant percentage of users don’t get access to their locked data even after paying the ransom.
Inadequate cyber-crisis management
A poor security framework can increase your chances of getting hacked, and it can determine your success rate when recovering from an attack if it happens in the first place. First, you should identify your most valuable assets and the level of risk you’re exposed to. After determining the threat levels, start designing an incident response plan that would help you promptly address the issue and mitigate any unnecessary consequences. If you’re a business owner, conduct regular training sessions with your employees to teach them how to detect risks and appropriately handle the situation.
Conclusion
With the number of cyber threats growing rapidly, it’s crucial to create a reliable strategy to prevent any security incidents. There isn’t a multipurpose security plan. Every security framework should be unique and tailored to one’s specific needs. If you’re not sure what strategies you need to implement to protect your assets, do thorough research or consult an expert who’ll guide you through the process.