Quick Intelligence Blog

Your company's network and data are accessible via endpoints. Desktops, laptops, smartphones, tablets, servers, workstations, and even Internet-of-things (IoT) devices are examples of endpoints. Securing those endpoints is important as a lot of data ends up going through those endpoints.

(Updated from November, 19th 2021)

There is no doubt that ransomware continues to still be considered a big threat to businesses. The UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) warns in this report that the overall threat from cybercrime has increased during the past year, with more severe and high-profile attacks against victims. Particularly concerning for the NCA is the growth of ransomware "causing harm to our citizens and communities on a significant scale."

The biggest area of economic growth during the COVID-19 pandemic was eCommerce. A press release issued by ACI Worldwide reported that most retail sectors saw a 74% rise in online sales in March of 2020 compared to the same period in 2019. This growth is great; however, it could lead to issues if online businesses do not take the appropriate cybersecurity measures. The following 3 cybersecurity issues can adversely affect your eCommerce business.

If you are looking for the weak link in the cybersecurity chain, you will find it in people. People make mistakes. Hackers are great at exploiting vulnerabilities in software, but the easiest vulnerability for them to target is people. People can be too trusting which can lead to hackers easily gaining access to systems and information.

Protecting yourself and your data online can seem like a daunting task. The difficulty is tied to several factors, such as, how many data “assets” do you have that need to be protected, how many employees, how many locations, and how many Internet connections you may have. Generally speaking, the more complex your environment is, the more difficult protecting yourself can be. Add to that the types of data your organization is trying to protect, and how high profile of an organization you may be, can also play a role in the difficulty of protecting yourself.

Malware is loosely defined as software that, when installed on your pc, laptop, mobile device or server, does things that you really don’t want it to do. It could delete files, change your browser path, or create what’s known as a C&C (Command & Control) connection to an external server, allowing a hacker to connect directly into your PC without you knowing. It can run silently and hidden in the background, stealing your banking credentials when you log into the bank.

Computer viruses are bits of computer code that are designed to perform a specific purpose and are usually designed to propagate from one computer to another on a network. Just like viruses in the human body, a virus on a computer or network can make that computer “sick” meaning it doesn’t function the way it’s supposed to.