Cyber-attacks can happen within the blink of an eye. If your business doesn’t have the correct protection surrounding it, you could lose money, important company data and put your reputation in hot water. This article has been written to get you thinking about what threats you can expect to come your way as a business owner, and what actions to take if you fall victim to an attack.
Common types of Cyber Attack
Cyber attacks on SMEs can be varied, however they usually start by targeting end-users. Cyber-criminals rely on your employees having a lack of IT literacy and little understanding of the threat landscape. This is why you are likely to see newer employees targeted first as they are impressionable and not used to the new working environment. Examples of common cyber attacks are
- Being tricked into sending money or purchasing gift cards to a scammer
- Clicking a link and entering credentials into a fake login portal (usually posing to be Microsoft, Amazon, your bank etc)
- Clicking a link that automatically downloads Malware to the victim’s machine such as:
Examples of Malware include but aren’t limited to:
- A Keylogger that records which keys you are using to log into your accounts
- Pop up’s telling you that there is a virus on your machine, posing as Microsoft and prompting you to call a support number
- Trojan malware elicits information from your computer and then corrupts files after it’s executed