Sadly, we live in a world where cybercriminals are at large. Given the rise of the internet and the selection of different online platforms that are out there, online criminals have been able to find a way in. Somewhat alarmingly, they’re clever about it, too. While there are some simple ways to grow your online business, there is an increasing amount of unscrupulous characters looking to break into it for a variety of reasons and hinder any progress you’ve made.
On the whole, hackers generally look to obtain personal information. In truth, though, especially when assessing the business world, the sheer amount of cyber attacks that are regularly being pulled off is scary. From stealing money and data to taking personal information and adding ransomware, the diverse nature of these types of attacks is what makes them so tricky to avoid. Of course, you can install a VPN to add an additional layer of security to your web surfing. Additionally, helpful blogs around website security and understanding cybersecurity basics might help, especially if you want to avoid customer churn and even site suspension. Ultimately, though, it’s important to keep on top of the methods hackers use in order to stay one step ahead of them.
Given the growing nature of cyber threats in the modern world, online criminals are coming up with new and improved methods of attack. For small business owners, in particular, keeping on top of the growing amount of sophisticated attacks is vitally important. Even the largest corporations around experience cyber criminality, but prevention is certainly the key in making sure that the attackers are put off. In order to prevent specific attacks, though, it’s important to understand exactly how cybercriminals operate and the common threats that tend to haunt small businesses.
It’s also important to understand that a cyber attack can happen to anyone or any small business. In fact, while gaining an understanding of common cyber threats is important in being able to maintain a safe and secure online platform for your business, online criminals are always looking at ways to evolve. In order to increase your chances of establishing a safe and secure website, though, it’s still worth keeping tabs on the latest methods of attack in 2022. So, with that in mind, let’s take a look at a selection of common cyber threats right now that small businesses should aim to avoid.
Malware
A particularly malicious attack, malware can have a devastating impact on any website, but especially a smaller one with limited resources when it comes to being able to get it back up and running. From spyware and ransomware to worms and viruses, as soon as an online user clicks a link, these types of horrific attacks can occur. A lot of the time, people are being unknowingly attacked, too, perhaps finding out after the crime has already taken place. This has certainly occurred for a number of small businesses, with malware attacks being one of the most common types of threat these days. Attacks like this can have a massive impact on how a website functions, perhaps even harming an entire business as a result. Malware attacks can block access to key website components, install additional harmful software, obtain information by transmitting data from the hard drive, and harm individual parts that help the system work. Essentially, a malware attack isn’t something any business wants.
Man in the middle attacks
When hackers insert themselves into a two-party transaction, that’s when a man-in-the-middle attack is most likely to take place. Usually carried out with the aim of filtering and stealing any valuable data, hackers interrupt online traffic, particularly on a vulnerable, unprotected network, and essentially operate covertly between the visitor and the network. Once they’re successfully in and able to get to work, a hacker will look to obtain the data they want through a selection of malware. Although these types of attacks aren’t as common as other cyber threats, they’re still prominent enough in 2022 to cause enough concern.
Password attacks
Passwords are a necessity online. If your website doesn’t have a secure password, online criminals could wreak havoc and conduct their activities with ease. For some people, using a password manager is the answer, while others opt for other security measures. Password attacks come in all shapes and sizes, though. For instance, sometimes they occur after a hacker has befriended someone online, perhaps through a public forum or a social media platform. Then, from there, the human interaction that has been carried out enables a hacker to gain the information they require to cause harm to an online business or an individual. Although this area of attack is hard to pull off, it has resulted in a number of online threats overall. Some hackers even try and guess their way into a website. With that in mind, be sure to protect your website with a hard-to-crack password.
SQL injection
If your small business has a server that uses SQL, then the possibility of being interrupted by a horrific SQL injection is a genuine one. Also known as a Structured Query Language, an SQL attack consists of an online attacker inserting malicious code into the server. Once the hacker has managed to insert the code they have, it will extract any vital information that will then give them the tools they require to carry out more harm. Hackers even use this method to bypass application security measures and then to obtain the content of the entire SQL database, or even modify and delete hugely important business records from a database. A breach of this type is certainly harmful for any business, particularly as hackers can gain access to customer records, intellectual property, and a whole lot more.
Denial of service
Also known as a DoS attack, denial of service methods of attack result in a computer or a network being flooded so it simply malfunctions and fails to respond to any requests. Once this has happened, alongside a range of other techniques, cybercriminals can inflict more damage through other attacks and gain control in a truly terrifying manner. For internet-based criminals, a denial of service method of attack is a tried and tested way of compromising websites.
