Cybersecurity steps to get ahead of cyberattack trends

To get ahead of cyberattack trends

As another year moves along slowly, the dangers of cyberattacks are not slowing down in any way. Maybe it’s because companies continue to adjust to a remote workforce, while the pandemic still affects business and our day-to-day; or perhaps it’s because of the need for IT security project approvals, budget restraints and/or other operational measures that cyber criminals don’t have to deal with when they conduct “business” operations (which involves them accessing and taking control of a company’s network and the data on it or even halting a company’s operations altogether). Luckily, we can always do something about cyber risks and cyberattack trends, if we get ahead of them in the best way possible.  This starts with knowing what you’re up against and then getting clear on the next cybersecurity steps to take so that you can match what you need to secure your business. We’ll start with the cyberattack trends that SonicWall’s “2022 SonicWall Cyber Threat Report” has listed for this new year.

• When it comes to malware attacks, they have found that it is actually not trending.  Malware attacks are at 5.4 billion and a -4% compared to previous reports.

• IoT malware on the other hand has grown by +6% and is at 60.1 million.
• Next, we have intrusion attempts at +11% as a type of cyberattack favored by cyber criminals, this type of attack is at 5.3 trillion according to the report.
• For cryptojacking attacks, there have been 97.1 million, at a +19% growth rate.
• The top two favored cyberattack trends are ransomware attacks at second place with 623.3 million attacks and an increase of +105%, and encrypted threats at first place with 10.4 million attacks and with an increase of +167%.

As you can see, malware attacks, which have usually been in the spotlight alongside ransomware attacks are in a negative trend. At the same time, we have a new type of attack that is growing in interest for cyber criminals and that has not been as spotlighted as malware or ransomware, encrypted threats. With these trends being able to change at any pace and in any way, the best way to defend is to get on top of cyber resiliency without walls now that the remote workforce is here to stay and to ensure your cybersecurity posture always involves a 360-degree view to avoid blind spots. So, let’s take a look at getting clear on your next cybersecurity steps. The best way to get clear on what steps to take involves you organizing every piece of how your company operates: who, what, where, and how.  Essentially: people, processes, and technology.  A list helps you to have a visual on where you’re at with security: what steps have been taken and where updates will be needed. Let’s begin. Network is a big one.  

• This includes your office network, at home networks, and everything connected to all of those networks, which leads us to people and devices.

For devices and people, you want to know about all items that are connected to the network.

• PCs, mobile phones, printers and/or monitors, are important to note.
• All tech/devices online such as coffee machines and printers are a good idea to know about due to vulnerabilities in all types of home and office appliances.

Don’t forget about apps and cloud, which are huge right now and only growing.

• Cloud security should top your list since it’s an entirely new environment and different to protect from a network.
• For apps, staying up to date on their vulnerabilities and software development.

Lastly, vendor risk management, third-party and supply chain risks have all taken a top priority for cyber resiliency to take place.

• Get “eyes and ears” on the cybersecurity postures and measures all of the above entities that you work with are taking because they are connected to everything you do.

All it takes is one breach to create damage.  If you are prepared for it, you reduce the costs and downtime, which means you reduce the risk of going out of business. As you can see, the steps to an ideal cybersecurity posture for cyberattacks and risks are straightforward.

• Anything online and involving a network.
• Everything that you use to conduct business operations in-office and remotely/out-of-office.

With the cybersecurity expertise that sets up your company’s incident response plan, business continuity plan, security assessments, staying up to date on the latest news, and so forth, you’re good to go. If we can be of any help, for your company’s cyber resilience let us know. We have updated our cybersecurity services to meet the new list of cyber risks companies face.  This includes cloud security and vendor risk management services.  Here is a link to get more details: https://ncxgroup.com/2022/02/what-is-new-in-cybersecurity-services-in-2022/ Schedule your cybersecurity consultation today: https://calendly.com/ncxgroup   Photo courtesy of ESB Professional