This has become a serious problem for all sectors of the digital domain with the majority of threats being targeted toward businesses where the potential to profit is particularly attractive.

Cyber-attacks are the hostile actions that are launched against computer networks, databases or personal devices by so-called “hackers” in order to steal, disrupt, change or delete the data or information systems of others, usually for personal gain either financially or to benefit in terms ofbusiness advantages or even just to cause malicious disruption.

Here is a brief outline of some of the most prolific & commonly encountered threats that business users may be unfortunate enough to experience:

• Denial of Service (DoS) & Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks – A Denial of Service attack occurs when a hacker overwhelms a system’s resources leaving it unresponsive to any service requests.The Distributed Denial of Service attack is on a much larger scale, when the hacker launches the attack via a network of infected computers. These kinds of assaults are an effective way to cause major disruption to business competition or as a smokescreen for launching further & more destructive elements whilst the stricken system is vulnerable.
• Phishing & Spear-phishing attacks – One of the most commonly encountered problems in which fake e-mails are used in order to illicit the recipient’s personal details or to attempt to exert influence. Phishing is for the most part, opportunistic, whereas spear-fishing is the name given to the form which has identified & specifically targeted a victim.
• SQL injection attacks – These are a common occurrence for websites with large databases when hackers gain access by means of the Structured Query Language data being directed to the client’s server.
• Ransomware – A particularly malicious crypto-virus which will literally prevent the victim from accessing their own data, or even threaten to publicly release confidential data unless a ransom is paid to the hacker.
• Man-In-The-Middle attacks – This is a situation that occurs when a hacker obtains access to the communication flow of data between a client & their server.
• Cross-site Scripting attacks (XXS) – These will happen when a hacker manages to taint a victim’s website with malicious script using third party web resources. When the database is accessed this can enable the hacker to remotely exploit the victim’s computer.
• Password attacks – Just to show that not everything is about high-tech hackers & their evil intentions, there are those who will physically search for written passwords & this can be a particular problem when passwords are not regularly updated or even shared in some office environments!

And that is just a taste of the bitter ills that we are all forced to swallow! That’s why it can be easy to switch off & leave it all to fate. But the need to stay informed & aware is greater now than ever as the stakes are high in terms of potential for loss of business & financial disaster.

Computer Being can build your defences against all of those threats by securing your network, your servers and your endpoints (laptops, desktops, phones, printers).

We can deploy firewalls as to control your inward and outward traffic,  secure your endpoints with the most advanced malware detection software by Sophos, assist you in creating information security policies and to work with you as to ensure that you are both secure and as productive as ever.

Give us a call to discuss us your requirements and how our IT Support services can assist.