Launching a new online business is exciting\u2014but cybersecurity needs to be one of your top priorities.
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Research<\/a> shows that Internet crime is one of the biggest threats to the success of online businesses today. <\/a>And this reflects in the worries of consumers, with 72%<\/a> concerned about their personal, credit card, or financial information being stolen by computer hacking in 2020. Moreover, 68% of business leaders also believe that their cybersecurity risks are growing. These crimes can affect your<\/em> business and have numerous consequences that disrupt your systems\u2014resulting in loss of revenue and extreme harm to your brand\u2019s reputation. The good news is that, just as cybercriminals are coming up with ever increasingly sophisticated models of attack, online businesses are figuring out ways to thwart attacks and keep their systems safe and up and running. In fact, Gartner predicts that cybersecurity spending will reach $170.4 billion<\/a> globally by 2022. If you\u2019ve got a new online business and need to protect it from online attacks, let\u2019s take a look at exactly how to build and develop a cybersecurity strategy from the ground up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The thing with cybercrime is there isn\u2019t just one system of attack. Instead, online attackers use different methods<\/a> to infiltrate your online business, including:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Phishing<\/a> is one of the most popular tactics employed by cybercriminals. It\u2019s classified as a social engineering attack whereby the criminal will send their targeted victims an email that tricks them into doing something that compromises their data. This is usually something as simple (and seemingly harmless) as clicking a link. Once the recipient complies and does the \u201cwrong thing,\u201d their data and even their entire system might be compromised. Over in the UK, 1 out of 3,722 emails<\/a> sent is a phishing attempt, while in Saudi Arabia, 1 in every 657 is a phishing attempt. <\/a>Moreover, the most common type of cybercrime reported to the U.S. Internet Crime Complaint Center<\/a> was phishing and similar fraud, with 241,342 complaints. In addition, 43,330 cases of online identity theft were reported to the IC3 that year. These are scary numbers. Worse still, 95% of all data breaches are caused by human error<\/a>, suggesting that phishing scams \u201cwork\u201d way more than they should. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Malware<\/a> is a malicious software program or file typically created to disrupt networks and servers to wreak havoc with an online business. They\u2019re super popular. In 2020, an average of 360,000<\/a> new malicious files were detected per day\u2014an increase of 5.2% compared to the previous year. Some forms<\/a> are more dangerous than others. They include: Ransomware<\/a> is a subset of malware and will only restrict access to personal and confidential files until a ransom is paid, and it is becoming increasingly popular. In 2020, 61%<\/a> of organizations were disrupted by ransomware at some point, which was a 20%<\/a> increase over the number of companies reporting such disruption in last year\u2019s \u201cThe State of Email Security\u201d report. All online businesses will need to be alert to this type of attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A DDoS (Distributed Denial-of-Service) attack floods the targeted server with high volumes of traffic that cause disruption. It can even bring entire servers down. A DDoS attack is a more advanced form of a denial-of-service attack. It\u2019s more powerful and often evades firewalls to compromise devices and take your business offline. If you\u2019re a new online business, you\u2019ll likely need to start from the ground up when building your cybersecurity strategy and implementation plan. Let\u2019s now take a look at what you need to do: <\/p>\n\n\n\n Technology is your best friend when it comes to thwarting cyber attacks. A software or hardware firewall, for example, is often described as an online business\u2019s first wall of defense against criminals who are trying to steal your data. Using an interactive, easy-to-use sandbox like ANY.RUN<\/a>, on the other hand, should work alongside your automatic security systems as an extra wall of defense to prevent suspicious files from slipping through. It does this by helping detect, isolate and investigate malware and other vulnerabilities as they are found on a company\u2019s endpoints, applications, and IT resources\u2014limiting any damage that\u2019s done to your operating systems. When planning your cybersecurity software strategy, firewalls and an interactive sandbox are definitely the best places to start. But it\u2019s also really important that you only invest in software that’s absolutely right for your needs and keep in mind that you don\u2019t need to use every tool out there. It\u2019s essential that you backup your data. Unless you back up your data, criminals can infiltrate your network, steal your data and hold it to ransom. If you\u2019ve backed everything up, the criminals have no leverage. Putting in place a proper data backup solution<\/a>, then, is essential. This means backing up your data frequently and inspecting each backup to ensure everything is correct. You\u2019ll also need to secure your backups. When a system isn\u2019t kept up to date, it\u2019s bad news for your new online business\u2014but good news for cybercriminals. Why? Cybercriminals are always looking for loopholes they can exploit – and an out-of-date system is one of the biggest of them all. It leaves you hugely susceptible to security breaches because you\u2019re essentially working with patches and \u201cflaws\u201d that haven\u2019t yet been fixed. Indeed, this is one of the prime reasons developers frequently release software updates\u2014patches and the like. It\u2019s so that any problems that haven\u2019t been addressed can be fixed, and the end-user (your business) is protected. Naturally, constantly updating your system can be time-consuming and monotonous. This is why so many new businesses overlook it. But regularly updating your systems and software needs to form a key part of your DOD’s cybersecurity strategy going forward. As a new online business, you\u2019ll likely be using a number of tools, such as project management tools,<\/a> communication tools, and finance tools. And while these tools are essential, it\u2019s critical that you vet all third-party providers to ensure they take security just as seriously as you do. Here are some tips:
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<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat are the Different Types of Cybercrime?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Phishing <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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<\/p>\n\n\n\nMalware<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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DDoS<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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<\/p>\n\n\n\nHow to Create a Cybersecurity Strategy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Invest in Technology <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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<\/p>\n\n\n\n2. Backup Your Data <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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<\/p>\n\n\n\n3. Keep Your Systems Up to Date<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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<\/p>\n\n\n\n4. Always Vet Third Party Providers <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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