Top 5 most common cyber security breaches and the advantages of cloud computing
Cloud computing is the future of data storage and team collaboration. These days it doesn’t matter if you’re an international franchise or a small business, it saves money, is far quicker than old school applications, and widely used by a wide variety of businesses. The industry is constantly growing, with cloud computing applications evolving rapidly.
However, cloud security is overlooked due to these services becoming so widely used. Apps such as Office 365, Microsoft Teams, Amazon Web Services, and Googles Cloud Services are used by many businesses across the UK, with many business owners assuming they’re already secure.
Unfortunately, these apps also need to be added security to make sure they’re not susceptible to attacks. 43% of cyber-attacks in 2019 were aimed at smaller businesses, with only 14% willing to protect themselves. This has resulted in a loss of over a trillion pounds within the last 5 years.
It’s of paramount importance to uncover the reasons why protecting your cloud services is so important. Discover the top reasons why cloud computing is so vulnerable;
Email phishing is the most used method by hackers, dating back to the early 2000s. Hackers will inject malware into a vulnerable system to target unsuspecting businesses. They will then disguise themselves as trusted staff e.g. Colleagues or management, who attach files or links into an email. These links will then allow hackers to access your data for their own, usually financial, gain.
Hackers are getting so good at phishing by disguising themselves as trusted people e.g. Colleagues and attaching files or links which can allow them access to your data for their own, usually financial, gain.
Although using cloud-based services is less prone to phishing attacks, applications such as Office 365 can be targeted through mobile devices. It’s important to train staff on the implications of a phishing attack and when to spot the difference.
Without a secure security system in place, hackers are able to pick up vulnerabilities and act on them immediately. Cloud-based apps are only secure to a certain extent and hackers are becoming smarter, and learning new ways to steal a company’s sensitive data.
There are now a lot of cyber security essentials that can be put in place to patch up the vulnerabilities you are unaware of. With the Qual MSP free site scan, you’re able to test and try the software before committing. This free scan will assess your infrastructure to detect any data breaches within your IT systems. Following that, your account manager will give key recommendations on the right tools for your business. There will also be regular patch management to ensure your systems stay up to date and work in full effect across your basic windows systems and any other security software.
As remote working becomes the new normal and cloud computing for business is more widely used, malware and spyware are targeting unsuspecting staff members who are going about their daily tasks. This type of hacking software can be disguised as practically anything. Web-based downloads are a simple yet effective way for hackers to target small businesses that don’t have encrypted laptops.
It’s important to make sure that your cloud-based applications are secure to avoid malicious URLs targeting employees.
4 – Stolen credentials from third party locations
It is very common for people these days to use the same password for everything, we can all agree it’s a lot easier! This can be a security risk to third-party services as they’re easier to hack into when an individual has the same password across multiple applications. 80% of cyberattacks happen due to weak passwords, costing companies thousands every year.
This has become a common problem across businesses in the UK, it’s important to make sure staff understand the requirements for difficult, varied passwords.
Social engineering accounts for 29% of all security breaches and averages between £25,000 and £100,000 in data loss. In this current climate, it's extremely easy for hackers to pretend to be higher management to get staff to reset passwords or download internal links.
In 2009, a Coca-Cola executive received an email [aw3] from who he thought was the CEO but little did he know it was a phishing email containing a malicious link. It cost Coca-Cola 74,000 in data records, threatening their reputation. Even company’s such as Coca-Cola can become susceptible to human error, understanding these threats is critical to protecting staff from phishing attempts.
With such advancements in technology, businesses are now able to collaborate from anywhere in the world. It’s important to understand that migration to the cloud comes with costs if no precautions are taken. Hackers are growing with the changes and they’re creating new ways to target UK businesses.
Understanding the current climate is just as important as having the right systems in place, no two businesses are the same so it’s critical to protect your staff and business from malicious attacks with tailored cloud-based security systems.
Discover more about protecting Microsoft 365 and critical data below.
However, cloud security is overlooked due to these services becoming so widely used. Apps such as Office 365, Microsoft Teams, Amazon Web Services, and Googles Cloud Services are used by many businesses across the UK, with many business owners assuming they’re already secure.
Unfortunately, these apps also need to be added security to make sure they’re not susceptible to attacks. 43% of cyber-attacks in 2019 were aimed at smaller businesses, with only 14% willing to protect themselves. This has resulted in a loss of over a trillion pounds within the last 5 years.
It’s of paramount importance to uncover the reasons why protecting your cloud services is so important. Discover the top reasons why cloud computing is so vulnerable;
1 – Email Phishing
Email phishing is the most used method by hackers, dating back to the early 2000s. Hackers will inject malware into a vulnerable system to target unsuspecting businesses. They will then disguise themselves as trusted staff e.g. Colleagues or management, who attach files or links into an email. These links will then allow hackers to access your data for their own, usually financial, gain.
Hackers are getting so good at phishing by disguising themselves as trusted people e.g. Colleagues and attaching files or links which can allow them access to your data for their own, usually financial, gain.
Although using cloud-based services is less prone to phishing attacks, applications such as Office 365 can be targeted through mobile devices. It’s important to train staff on the implications of a phishing attack and when to spot the difference.
2 - Scanning Networks for Vulnerabilities
Without a secure security system in place, hackers are able to pick up vulnerabilities and act on them immediately. Cloud-based apps are only secure to a certain extent and hackers are becoming smarter, and learning new ways to steal a company’s sensitive data.
There are now a lot of cyber security essentials that can be put in place to patch up the vulnerabilities you are unaware of. With the Qual MSP free site scan, you’re able to test and try the software before committing. This free scan will assess your infrastructure to detect any data breaches within your IT systems. Following that, your account manager will give key recommendations on the right tools for your business. There will also be regular patch management to ensure your systems stay up to date and work in full effect across your basic windows systems and any other security software.
3 – Web download infections
As remote working becomes the new normal and cloud computing for business is more widely used, malware and spyware are targeting unsuspecting staff members who are going about their daily tasks. This type of hacking software can be disguised as practically anything. Web-based downloads are a simple yet effective way for hackers to target small businesses that don’t have encrypted laptops.
It’s important to make sure that your cloud-based applications are secure to avoid malicious URLs targeting employees.
4 – Stolen credentials from third party locations
It is very common for people these days to use the same password for everything, we can all agree it’s a lot easier! This can be a security risk to third-party services as they’re easier to hack into when an individual has the same password across multiple applications. 80% of cyberattacks happen due to weak passwords, costing companies thousands every year.
This has become a common problem across businesses in the UK, it’s important to make sure staff understand the requirements for difficult, varied passwords.
5 – Social engineering
Social engineering accounts for 29% of all security breaches and averages between £25,000 and £100,000 in data loss. In this current climate, it's extremely easy for hackers to pretend to be higher management to get staff to reset passwords or download internal links.
In 2009, a Coca-Cola executive received an email [aw3] from who he thought was the CEO but little did he know it was a phishing email containing a malicious link. It cost Coca-Cola 74,000 in data records, threatening their reputation. Even company’s such as Coca-Cola can become susceptible to human error, understanding these threats is critical to protecting staff from phishing attempts.
Conclusion
With such advancements in technology, businesses are now able to collaborate from anywhere in the world. It’s important to understand that migration to the cloud comes with costs if no precautions are taken. Hackers are growing with the changes and they’re creating new ways to target UK businesses.
Understanding the current climate is just as important as having the right systems in place, no two businesses are the same so it’s critical to protect your staff and business from malicious attacks with tailored cloud-based security systems.
Discover more about protecting Microsoft 365 and critical data below.