2019 is looking to be a banner year for cyber-attacks, here at Carden IT we like to stay abreast of all the latest threats and pass that information along not just to our clients but to everyone, because the safer each person is, the safer we all are.
Here are three attack vectors, new and old, that we all need to be watching out for in 2019 and beyond.
Ransomware
If you thought ransomware had peaked with 2017’s WannaCry attack you couldn’t be further from the truth. Just because it hasn’t been making headlines doesn’t mean it’s not a threat. In fact, a new organisation falls victim to ransomware every 14 seconds in 2019 and if current trends continue this is expected to increase to one every 11 seconds by 2021.
Prevention is always better than cure. To this end, our main aim is to prevent ransomware ever gaining a foothold in your network. Effective ransomware protection combines signature-based protection with behaviour monitoring that can detect as yet unknown threats not already added to the ransomware protection’s database.
Cloud-based ransomware protection means that if one of our customers’ systems detect a new piece of ransomware, all our other customers are automatically protected from it.
To safeguard against every eventuality, effective Ransomware Protection is still the best solution but for true, all-round protection we would recommend having both an effective endpoint backup programme and a comprehensive Disaster Recovery plan.
Supply Chain Attacks
The rising star of cybersecurity threats in 2019 is the supply chain attack. This is where malicious software disguised as a genuine software update is signed with a stolen certificate from the actual manufacturer. These types of attacks can be difficult to prevent as they use the very system designed to authenticate updates in order to spread them.
For this reason, it is a good idea to make sure that your network and machines are being Remotely Monitored so that suspicious activity can be detected early before the malware has an opportunity to spread and do damage.
Attacks Deployed Via IoT or Mobile Phones
The internet of things holds a wealth of possibilities and opportunities for today’s businesses. Unfortunately, it also presents these same possibilities and opportunities for today’s malicious actors.
As the number of internet-connected devices with an organisation continues to grow so does the number of vectors of attack and with more and more businesses allowing employees to bring their own devices to work the threat is greater than ever.
In addition to the services mentioned above, Carden IT would recommend;
- Be smart – if an IoT device is too cheap to be true, it probably is.
You will often see adverts online for IoT device such as IP cameras from as little as £10, usually shipping from online marketplaces based abroad. Though these are appealing given their low price, often they offer no security and leave their ports open to the internet, meaning anyone could use them to spy on you or gain a foothold in your network.
- Consider a Mobile Device Management plan
A Mobile Device Management plan guarantees you get the flexibility and efficiency of a bring-your-own-device plan while keeping your network, data and documents secure in the event that one of those devices in compromised.
Carden IT have been partnered with the suppliers of the world’s best cyber-attack prevention tools for some years now, and we pride ourselves to say that we offer a complete and comprehensive anti-virus and ransomware protection package.
If you’re looking for protection from the ever-growing number of cyber threats, a member of our team can help choose the best package for your business.
