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Current Cybersecurity Threats

Cybersecurity has been forced to adapt to the rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape.

Businesses have been steadily growing more and more reliant on technology since the minute the desktop was introduced. Business operations got more efficient and the world was forever changed. Today, technology has been integrated into virtually every aspect of business there is. With that comes an increased risk of cyber attacks.

Cybersecurity has been forced to adapt to the rapidly evolving cyber threat landscape. Each year, hackers find new ways around cybersecurity protocols to gain access to valuable sensitive information. Current cybersecurity threats are more dangerous than ever. Hackers today are organized and well-funded. They can work together to bypass everything from Microsoft security alerts to the top cybersecurity software available.

The reality of the situation is that no network is ever fully secured. The more secure a network may be, the harder a hacker or organization is trying to find a way in. if there are employees that have access to a secure network, then there is a way in and hackers can find a way to exploit that. Cybersecurity has taken great strides in proficiency over the last two decades. The one weak point that remains is the necessary access employees have to have. Hackers know this and have zeroed in on these access points with their most recent attacks.

The top 10 cybersecurity threats 2021 brought to the table are similar to those of 2022, but they have continued to evolve all the same. Things like phishing, man-in-the-middle attacks, and ransomware attacks are just a few of the cybersecurity threats examples this article will cover. There are plenty of other threats that exist as well, but the main problem remains. Without constant attention to detail and maintenance of security systems, no network is ever fully secured.

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Cybersecurity News

Cybersecurity news has become more and more frequent in recent years. In the past, companies kept security breaches under wraps because they weren’t very severe or didn’t have an effect on too many people. These days, however, cyber-attacks are costing companies an average of $4.62 million and affecting millions of people. With the rise of ransomware attacks, companies are sometimes barred from operating at all, meaning the attack can’t simply be swept under the rug.

In many cases, these attacks work behind the scenes until they get what they need, rendering cybersecurity alerts useless. This highlights the importance of regular maintenance and employee education about active cybersecurity threats. 2022 saw an increase in social engineering attacks in which hackers target individuals and prey on human error rather than the security systems themselves.

Cyber attacks are very rarely one-off events. When a new attack method is developed, hackers deploy that tactic on multiple targets. This makes following a cyber alert news site so valuable because you can stay on top of new threats and trends in real time. These sites often detail recent cyber trends and particularly effective attacks that businesses are experiencing.

Cybersecurity Trends

Cybersecurity is a very fluid industry. Defenses that worked last year might not be so effective this year. Hackers are always working to find new cracks and weaknesses in security systems. In response, security developers are constantly patching and updating their software in order to stay ahead of the hacking organizations. Staying on top of cybersecurity trends is vital to survival. Beyond just the security you have in place, consistent testing and monitoring are important to identify risks and vulnerabilities before they become too big of an issue.

Keeping a close eye on your security is one thing, but staying up to date on emerging threats in cybersecurity is a vitally important step in protecting your most sensitive information. Some of the top cybersecurity threats 2022 is plagued with include:

  • Social Engineering: If an employee is tricked into sharing access, any network is vulnerable to attacks. The term social engineering refers to threats such as phishing and email impersonation that are designed to extract information from the people, not the systems.
  • Password Attacks / Poor Cyber Hygiene: In 2022, password attacks still pose a serious problem even though they are among the most widely known information security threats. Even though it’s widely regarded as poor cyber hygiene, half of us are still reusing passwords across multiple accounts. Hackers can access a wide range of sensitive data by gaining access to one password.
  • Man-in-the-Middle (MITM): The man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack remains one of the most common cybersecurity threats, but its popularity continues to rise. This method is most commonly applied in public networks, where a hacker intercepts and steals data from the connection.
  • Ransomware: Ransomware attacks are another old and growing threat to cybersecurity. They have become more costly than they were in the past. Many affected organizations reported losing leadership positions and other jobs as a result of ransomware attacks in 2021, which brought the average ransomware demand to just over $200K.
  • Denial of Service (DoS/DDoS): One of the top cybersecurity threats 2021 dealt with is still on the rise and expected to hit dangerously high levels in 2022. Hackers flood servers with information so that they cannot respond to client requests, which is called a denial of service attack. Distributed denial of service (DDoS) is the same only on a larger scale. Companies that are overloaded become vulnerable to other attacks and lose a lot of money if the system is unable to respond to requests.
  • Cloud Vulnerabilities: Many businesses use cloud storage for everything from creative company assets to sensitive customer data, especially those that offer services to many clients remotely. Over the past few years, strategies to circumvent the new protection have improved along with cloud storage security.
  • Third-Party Exposure: Third-party exposure remains a major threat to your company if it relies on third parties for services that require access to your network. In order to get into your system and extract whatever they need, a hacker might gain access to a less secure third-party network with access to yours.
  • Internet of Things (IoT): Today, everything is connected to our home and work networks. There are a number of devices connected to our private WiFi networks, including printers, thermostats, and even refrigerators, which can all be hacked. The topic of protecting devices is still a subject of study since it is one of the newest cyber threat examples.
  • Real-Time Payment Fraud: The case of real-time payment fraud occurs when hackers intercept real-time payments, especially ones coming from mobile phones, and convert these funds to cryptocurrency in an effort to cash out instantly. Due to its unregulated nature, cryptocurrency allows cybercriminals to work fast and disappear even faster.

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Examples Of Security Alerts

One of the core aspects of cybersecurity is the alerts they send out in attempts to warn the users that something may be wrong. There are a few different types of alerts in cybersecurity. One of the more well-known alerts is the Microsoft security notification. Microsoft security isn’t the best around, but they do a good job of alerting their users when suspicious activity occurs.

Virtually all of the security programs that exist have some sort of security vulnerability alerts packaged in. Some examples of security alerts would be:

  • Unauthorized Login Attempts
  • Spam Notifications
  • Data Breach Notifications
  • Vulnerability Alerts
  • And More

These examples operate as early warning signs for the users to act on. The problem can be that users may not know how to remedy the situation. This is where vulnerability scanners and risk assessments can be extremely helpful. Trava’s tools not only find the weak points but give the user actionable data on how to mend the issues.

The Cybersecurity Infrastructure & Security Agency, or CISA, has a database of alerts and tips for defending your networks against current threats. CISA alerts go deeply into detail on specific attacks and are sorted by year. It can be a helpful tool to gather more information about the numerous threats companies face today.

Computer Security Threats And Solutions

Naturally, computer security threats and solutions are dependent on the security itself. For example, if there are a large number of users on a network, a hacker might favor social engineering to target the users themselves. This would make endpoint security and employee education the most likely solutions. No matter which types of security threats you face, there are always security solutions you can employ to counter them.

Even the top cybersecurity threats have solutions. You just need to do some research and find the right tools for the job. Of all the types of computer security available, there is none as effective as planning ahead. This is where Trava Security’s tools come in.

Trava Security offers a number of helpful security tools that can identify and report on vulnerabilities in your security. Trava even offers a virtual CISO to help guide your team to better cyber hygiene and meet compliance standards that can help keep your network safe. If you’d like to better secure your sensitive information, contact Trava and schedule a demo today.

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