- Haar Cloud
- cyber security
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Cyber threats are growing more sophisticated every day. Even though there are so many great online sources for getting the correct information about cyber attacks, there are still many myths about cyber security out there. And many people still believe them.
All these misconceptions can lead to huge gaps in your cyber security strategy, so, in the next article, we’ll go through some of the most common myths. We’ll explain why these are not real and give you the hard facts you need to know if you want to defend your employees and business.
Myth: We are not important enough to be targeted
Now, this isn’t easy to say, but quite a few owners of SMBs (or their teams) believe that their data isn’t worth stealing. And this couldn’t be further from the truth, as cybercriminals can scam and hack every user out there, no matter the size of the company they work for.
Every internet user, whether that is your employee or your customer, has data worth stealing, such as logins, financial information, or personal and work communication. Once their data or network is compromised, personnel records, emails, and other internal data can be sold on dark web marketplaces.
One way cybercriminals can use this stolen information is to impersonate you or your employees in phishing scams. By posing as you, they can attempt to manipulate payments and bank transfers. As you can imagine, this exposes your data and employees and damages your brand image.
Still can’t believe this will happen to you? Well, maybe this study by the UK government that found 83% of cyber attacks against small businesses in the UK are phishing-related will change your mind to stay vigilant and secure your data.
Myth: It’s not going to happen to us
Ah, the old saying, this can’t happen to us. Well, of course, cyber attacks can happen to you and your company, small or big. Now, it’s true, that most high-profile news stories focus on Fortune 500 breaches. But that doesn’t mean SMBs suffer attacks less frequently.
More than half (54%) of SMEs in the UK had experienced some form of cyber-attack in 2022, up from 39% in 2020, according to this report.
This Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report revealed that 74% of breaches involved the human element, which includes social engineering attacks, errors, or misuse.
Actually, the most common type of cyber attack (89% according to this study by the UK government) involves some type of social engineering or phishing.
All these means that any security gaps your business may have – such as weak passwords, unpatched software, or lack of endpoint protection – can make you an easy target.
More than wanting your company data, hackers may also want to infect your networks with ransomware or malware to disrupt your systems, extract funds, or enable remote access.
As you can imagine, any of these cyber attacks can mean the end of your company.
So, start by implementing basic security controls and training your employees in cyber security practices.
Myth: Basic antivirus, firewalls, and strong passwords are enough
First of all, none of this is enough protection today even though these are the basic building blocks of any cyber security strategy. But, let’s take it one by one: why can’t an antivirus do the job these days?
Now, of course, an antivirus is a must for any business computer. But even if your antivirus can detect and catch some known threats, it’s not equipped to catch new, sophisticated threats. And new advanced attacks appear every day, such as ransomware, zero-day exploits, and advanced phishing attacks. All these can easily bypass antivirus detection.
It’s the same with firewalls and any other type of anti-malware software. Even though these are all essential to your cyber security, they are not impregnable and have to be monitored and updated to prevent breaches.
If we talk passwords, the best defense is to choose terms with obscure characters, that are case-sensitive and have a high complexity. And although many employees have already understood that, there are still quite a few who don’t. This study revealed that ‘Password’ is still the most common term used by hackers to infiltrate enterprise networks.
On top of everything, hackers also use brute force attacks or social engineering methods to bypass secure passwords, which means factors like multi-factor authentication (MFA) are essential to implement too.
So, as you can see, no single tool catches everything. You need to implement a layered cyber security strategy with firewalls, VPNs, strong passwords, multi-factor authentication, endpoint detection tools, employee training and more. Also, to minimize any potential incident effects on your business and be prepared, think about adding backup and disaster recovery solutions to your cyber security strategy.
Myth: We will know if our devices are infected
Again, unfortunately, this is not true. Modern malware is sneaky and sophisticated and won’t give obvious system slowdowns, crashes, or popups revealing the malware’s presence.
These days, modern cyber attacks are so advanced that they can avoid being detected once a system is compromised. As we said above, sophisticated malware can actually avoid antivirus scanning.
So, not noticing any disruptions is not proof that your systems are not infected and hackers don’t work discreetly to access data in the background. That’s why it’s essential to implement proactive monitoring and scanning with endpoint protection tools.
Read more: How cyber security strategy can help your business
Myth: Cyber security is the IT team’s responsibility
Actually, it’s a team effort. The IT department can’t handle all your business protection on its own. Everyone in your business needs to do their part and keep the business data and systems safe.
Yes, IT teams are at the forefront of your security protocols, but employees are the ones who have to deal with phishing attempts, suspicious links, and malware risks daily. To know how to deal with these, they all need basic security training to teach them how to avoid and spot phishing attacks.
And now, with hybrid work becoming the norm, it’s even more essential to make sure they understand the risks, are able to spot potential threats and take the right actions to protect your company.
The good news is security awareness training exists and does the job. Through awareness training your team can learn how to spot shady emails, use strong passwords, and make security a habit.
Read more: Top cyber security trends to watch in 2023
Stop falling for these cyber security myths
So, now you know the truth behind all these cyber security myths. The simple fact is that no one is immune to cyber threats.
Whether you own a small business or are an employee of a large corporation, you can become a victim of cybercriminals. Employee credentials, customer emails, and operational data, all of these have huge value to cybercriminals. Hackers can monetize stolen credentials or utilize compromised home devices to access corporate networks.
In other words, start by assuming that threats are sophisticated, systems can be infected, and users can be targets. And then you can prevent it all by being one step ahead.
How? Find a team of cyber security experts, and together build a strong cyber security strategy. Then start implementing robust security controls, access limitations, and staff training.
