As more businesses adopt digitalization and the internet in their day-to-day operations, the risk of cyber-attack and data breaches continues to rise. Hackers have continually devised new methods of gaining access to businesses and manipulating confidential information.
A 2020 hacking statistics report showed that 52% of the data breaches resulted from hacking, with phishing and malware accounting for 33% and 28%, respectively. The report also revealed that 43% of the breaches happened due to the exploitation of vulnerable web applications.
These statistics are proof that no business is immune to cybercrime. To safeguard your business from cyber-attacks, you need to understand the common tricks that hackers use. Here are some common hacking techniques and the ways you can avoid them.
Phishing
Phishing occurs when a hacker clones a website to obtain confidential information. Mainly, they send emails with an enticing link or attachment, redirecting you to a different site and collecting information when you log in. By opening the link, your computer gets a malware infection, and the hacker gains control of your system.
To avoid phishing attacks, warn your employees not to give out confidential information or open suspicious links and attachments. Also, ensure that your emails are encrypted — cybersecurity services in Maryland can help you stay secure. Encryption keeps your information unreadable to unauthorized persons.
Cookie Theft
Whenever you open websites, your system stores little file texts known as cookies. These cookies contain sensitive and personal details about your online activities, such as browsing history, passwords, financial data, and user logins.
A fraudster can steal cookies, decrypt the information, and use it to access your confidential data or impersonate you online.
To stay safe from cookie theft, make sure you use a VPN secured network. Clearing your cache is also a good way of mitigating the risks of cookie theft.
Denial of Service/Distributed Denial of Service (DoS/DDoS)
Denial of service or distributed denial of service is a hacking technique that overloads a network by using repetitive tasks and multiple login attempts to bring it down. The hacker bombards your server with high traffic or malicious codes, which duplicate themselves rapidly and overwhelm your server, causing it to crash.
Hosting your servers in the cloud is a safe way of securing your systems from a DDOS attack. Also, ensure you install the latest anti-malware software.
Malware
Malware comes in all forms of malicious software, such as viruses, ransomware, and spyware. Downloading files or opening infected links or attachments gives hackers easy access to your system. Another trick hackers use is injecting malware into your computer systems by using infected devices such as USBs.
The moment you connect an infected device to your computer, you inadvertently give the hackers access to your confidential information; and they can manipulate it to their liking.
To keep your systems safe from malware threats, make sure your anti-malware security software is up to date and avoid using devices, clicking links, or opening attachments from untrusted sources.
Keylogging
Keylogging is a technique used to crack sensitive information like passwords by recording keyboard strokes or mouse movements to a software log file. Hackers use the information in the log file to monitor your online activities until they find valuable information.
To secure your system from keylogging, you may consider encryption and multi-factor authentication. Password management tools can also help you generate strong passwords.
Protect Your Business from Hackers by Partnering With a Reliable MSP
Securing your business from cybercriminals and ever-evolving hacking techniques can be a daunting task. Our cybersecurity services in Maryland provide comprehensive cybersecurity that will help keep your business productive and safe. Contact us today for personalized security packages.
