Most businesses these days rely on the internet and cloud computing platforms to function, but doing so puts them at risk of cyber attacks. This is because cybercriminals recognize that businesses that operate in such a manner likely have vulnerabilities that they can find and exploit. If they are successful with their cyber attacks, the affected business may suffer operational disruptions, reputational damage, loss of revenue, or violate data privacy laws.
Businesses have to do everything possible to protect themselves from attacks. One way to do this is to consult the MITRE ATTACK framework. The MITRE ATTACK framework is a cybersecurity knowledge base created by the government to inform companies of the methods and techniques that malicious actors use to perpetrate cyber attacks. Companies that use this framework will know the right approach to take when combating cybercriminals and be able to effectively prevent data breaches, hacking, malware injections, and more.
Common Types of Cyber Attacks
There are many types of cyber attacks, and for a business to adequately protect itself, it must be familiar with them. Here are some of the commonly encountered ones:
Malware injections
These are attacks where a malicious actor installs corrupt software in a business’s IT infrastructure. This software then runs a predefined command to steal sensitive data, give cybercriminals access to the computer, log keyboard inputs, stop critical business functions, or perform other malicious acts. Some examples of malware are ransomware, spyware, trojans, worms, and adware.
These attacks are carried out by exploiting vulnerabilities in a network. For instance, if an employee downloads software from an untrusted website, that website may trick them into also downloading a small malicious software. Upon installation, that software will unleash malware into the system.
Password attack
This is the act of using password-cracking tools to gain unauthorized access to a company’s cloud computing platform. The most used password attacks are keylogger attacks, dictionary attacks, and brute force attacks.
Phishing attack
This is a form of social engineering where cyber attackers trick unsuspecting employees into downloading corrupt files or clicking on malicious links. They do this by sending emails from email addresses that are strikingly similar to one of a trusted colleague. The employee who receives the email will be unaware that they are a target, so they might open the message without thinking twice.
Denial of Service Attack
A Denial of Service (DoS) Attack occurs by flooding a company’s network with so much traffic that its bandwidth gets exhausted. This will prevent the company’s servers from receiving legitimate requests and can overwhelm it in some cases, which may cause it to shut down. The aim of this is to prevent companies from operating normally and be able to attend to their customers.
Man in the Middle Attack
This is a cyber attack where a malicious criminal intercepts communication between two parties (usually a client and a host). This interception allows hackers to steal sensitive data or be privy to confidential information.
Insider threat
An insider threat is a cyber attack that emanates from inside an organization. This is usually perpetrated by a rogue employee with malicious intent and can be exceptionally dangerous because the perpetrator knows a lot about the organization and has the potential to do more damage than a third-party cybercriminal.
Zero-day attack
A zero-day attack is a cyber security incident that has not been encountered before. There is often no known solution for it. This is tricky for businesses to deal with because they usually do not have a response plan that is proven to prevent or resolve the incident.
Business Cybersecurity Best Practices
Besides consulting the MITRE ATTACK framework, businesses can use the following best practices to protect themselves from cyberattacks:
1. Install antivirus programs
Antivirus programs can detect malware as soon as it enters a computer. They automatically quarantine suspicious files to prevent them from infecting other files. They can also scan computers at any time to find malware that snuck their way into a computer and misconfigurations that can bring about vulnerabilities that can be exploited.
2. Install a firewall
A firewall is the first line of defense an organization has to protect itself from malicious traffic. It inspects and authenticates the traffic that flows in and out of a network to prevent cyber attackers from gaining access to it.
3. Use an identity management system
Identity management systems are designed to confirm the identity of employees attempting to log into their company’s cloud computing platform. This stops intruders in their tracks. The system should be configured such that employees can only use strong passwords. Those are passwords that are a mix of letters, numbers, symbols, upper & lower case letters, and special characters. Strong passwords are difficult for cybercriminals to guess.
4. Implement access controls
Access controls restrict the privileges employees have in a cloud platform to the parts of it they need for their jobs. This lessens the damage organizations face when a security incident occurs by not allowing the cyber attacker to go beyond the perimeter set around the employee who had their work account login credentials stolen.
5. Give employees cybersecurity training
It is best to train all employees on cybersecurity so they can prevent, detect, and respond adequately to cyber attacks. This will lessen the burden on cybersecurity professionals and reduce the likelihood that a cyber attack will be successful.
6. Create an incident response plan
Creating an incident response plan will enable employees to quickly spring into action whenever there is a security incident. The cybersecurity professionals will know exactly what to do to resolve the situation and recover any lost data in the shortest possible time. This reduces downtime and keeps the business operational.
Endnote
Cybersecurity is essential for businesses that use the internet and have adopted cloud computing because they are often the target of cyber attacks. For companies to adequately protect themselves, they must understand the kind of threats they face. Then, they can employ the best practices listed above to safeguard their IT infrastructure.