Cyber Threats To Be Prepared For In 2016?

“Every minute, there are around half a million attack attempts happening in cyber space.” If that isn’t scary enough, once you understand the risks that a really involved in cyber security you will see, it gets worse!

The more technology is advancing, the more important it is to securing IT systems. There are many threats when it comes to cyber security, but there are some more specifics we have to watch for in 2016.

Phishing is an attempt to acquire sensitive information by masquerading as a trustworthy source either through email, text or pop-up messages etc. One of the first things to check about a suspicious email is to see if the message contains a mismatched URL or poor spelling and grammar. No matter how official an email may look, never trust a message that asks for personal information. If the message asks for details like a password, credit card number or the answer to a security question, then this is always a bad sign.

Additionally, you should never provide information over an unencrypted email in the first place.

Cloud services will continue to grow this year, but as we speak cyber criminals are building malware specifically designed to crack corporate cloud-based systems due to more and more organisations are switching to cloud storage. There will also be an increased concentration on IoT takeover (Internet of Things). This includes devices, automobiles, buildings, medical equipment, Wi-Fi toys, wearable gadgets and all other electronical items that can be embedded with software, sensors and web connectivity to enable them to collect and exchange data.

Hackers are also becoming an increasing risk to cyber security. Those fearful of hackers getting hold of sensitive data has also increased from 74 percent to 80 percent over the last year.
Malvertising is an attack that delivers a payload of malware by disguising itself as an ad. As a recent attack that infected up to 27,000 Yahoo visitors per hour, malvertising can appear on legitimate sites and look like any other ad. Companies should have updated endpoint protection running on their machines to help protect themselves.

Ransomware is where Malware that encrypts and threatens to destroy, permanently remove access to or publicly post data unless a victim makes payment. It is becoming increasingly popular, a way for attackers to monetize their exploits on systems. Companies should invest in strong endpoint protection as well as other layers of defence, to block the introduction of ransomware.

You need to understand the threats to your cyber security to help avoid them, staying up to date with the recent trends is a great start. Why not subscribe to our newsletter to get the latest trends in cyber security emailed directly to you, or just pop back in a week or so and check out our latest blog.