By reading this guide on cybersecurity threats, you will learn what they are, how many happen each day, and how to stop them.
What are cybersecurity threats?
A cybersecurity threat is a malicious offensive launched against computers, servers, mobile devices, networks, and data.
The objective is to gain access to, alter or destroy confidential information and even extort money from the victim for data recovery.
Acts committed by luring individuals or corporations to obtain an economic return fall within the spectrum of financial crime.
According to Cybersecurity Ventures, ransomware will cost its victims around $ 265 billion by 2031.
Who are the targets of cybersecurity threats?
Cyber attacks can target businesses or countries.
In the case of individuals, we often refer to identity theft. For instance, hackers steal pictures or files and ask for money to decrypt them.
As for companies, fraudsters typically target high-value corporations that handle sensitive data.
Top targets are, for example, hospitals, banking institutions, or law firms.
Cybercriminals know the value of confidential data and its disclosure is a growing threat for businesses.
Hackers are increasingly targeting corporations and government institutions around the world.
For instance, healthcare data breaches are rising.
Cyber intelligence helps governments and private companies keep their information systems secure, particularly against hacking and cyberterrorism.
Where do cybersecurity threats originate?
Cybersecurity threats originate in two ways:
- Inside the company: former employees, current workers, or suppliers.
That is, through staff members who can access sensitive information.
- Outside the corporation: cybersecurity attacks aim to extort money.
The victim receives a message asking for money in exchange for a password to retrieve the stolen data.
Anticipating a threat is critical for a company’s growth, and even a state, today.
ReputationUP Coach’s control room enables organizations, countries, and professionals to monitor what is happening in real-time.
What are the various types of cybersecurity threats?
The main types of cybersecurity threats are:
- Phishing: Cambridge Dictionary defines this concept as follows:
“An attempt to trick someone into giving information over the internet or by email that would allow someone else to take money from them, for example by taking money out of their bank account.”
- Ransomware: Avast explains the concept:
“It is a type of malware, or malicious software, that encrypts files and even entire computer systems or mobile devices.
Hackers demand a ransom payment in exchange for decrypting your files and returning access. “
- Malware: It is malicious software that infiltrates a computer or mobile device without the user’s knowledge.
- Social engineering: Kaspersky refers to this concept on its website:
“It is the use of deception to manipulate individuals into enabling access or divulging information or data. It involves creating a trap to load a malware that compromises the system.”
Cybersecurity stats
This year, the Identity Theft Resource Center has released a report on public data breaches in the United States.
Actually, as of October 2021 (1,291), the figures already exceed 2020 data (1108 infractions).
2017 was the record year with 1529 data breaches. However, experts predict that data breach volumes for 2021 will exceed the total recorded four years ago.
According to this analysis, FinCEN identified approximately $ 5.2 billion in outgoing Bitcoin transactions potentially tied to ransomware payments.
Reputation Intelligence is the definitive solution for monitoring a country’s or company’s cyberspace.
How many cybersecurity threats occur in a single day?
According to the UN, there are more than 2,200 cyberattacks per day worldwide, one cybersecurity threat every 39 seconds.
Cybersecurity threats in India
The Government of India reported 1.16 million cybersecurity attacks during 2020.
Approximately 3,000 security attacks are filed each day, three times more than in 2019.
Cybersecurity incidents
Here are some of the biggest cybersecurity incidents in recent years.
LinkedIn reported that data from roughly 500 million user profiles had been stolen.
These (names, IDs, emails, phone numbers, and so on) were put for sale on a hacking forum.
Hackers posted the data (current location, emails, phone numbers, relationship status, etc.) of nearly 500 million users.
The countries most affected by these cyber-attacks were the United States, the United Kingdom, and India.
Pulse Secure VPN
Chinese cybercriminals have exploited the vulnerability of Pulse Secure VPN tool. They managed to access financial institutions and government agencies in the United States and Europe.
The company stated that it impacted “a very limited number of customers.”
WannaCry, 2017
In 2017, the WannaCry virus infected 300,000 systems in 150 countries.
The ransomware encrypted the data and demanded hundreds of dollars in exchange for the key to decrypt them.
WannaCry targeted banks, hospitals, and significant corporations.
FedEx, a logistics company, suffered losses reaching hundreds of millions of dollars due to cyber-attacks.
The reputations of LinkedIn, Facebook, VPN, and FedEX were all tarnished due to their involvement in these incidents.
In times of crisis, reputation monitoring scans the entire web in real-time.
What tools do I need to ensure cybersecurity?
The first step in protecting yourself from cybersecurity threats is to prevent and implement specific measures.
We recommend the following ReputationUP Coach tips:
- Use Firewalls to block threats: more advanced versions now inspect web traffic, identify users, and block access.
You can implement it in either hardware or software form or a combination of both.
It has some weaknesses, and hackers can create ‘disguised’ programs that attack any device.
- Install an Antivirus to detect malware infections.
It prevents, detects and removes malware infections on devices.
Automation allows the computer or mobile device to perform a quick scan.
- Proxy Server: a system running on a computer that acts as an intermediary between a user and the web server.
Its goal is to block the websites that it deems dangerous.
- Scanning tool: comprehensive software that detects, analyzes and manages the system weaknesses.
It looks for real-time threats and provides managing solutions.
- Endpoint Disk Encryption refers to data encryption that prevents the information from being read without the correct key.
It secures the files and protects them against unauthorized access.
Companies or countries cannot face all cybersecurity threats as hacking tools evolve.
The ReputationUP Coach team helps companies protect themselves against cybersecurity attacks.
The revolutionary combination of cutting-edge hardware and innovative tools gives you complete control over cyberspace.
ReputationUP Coach intercepts and locates any online data that could jeopardize an organization’s or country’s security.
Conclusions
This article has taught you about cybersecurity threats, as well as how to combat them.
We can draw the following conclusions from this guide:
- A cybersecurity threat refers to a malicious attack on computers, servers, networks, etc.;
- The objective is to gain access to, alter or destroy confidential information, as well as extort money from the victim;
- Cybersecurity attacks are typically carried out using malware, ransomware, or phishing;
- According to the UN, a cybersecurity threat occurs every 39 seconds.
Companies or countries cannot face all cyber threats.
ReputationUP Coach protects cyberspace against cyber attacks by using sophisticated tools.