From the Blog

The Real Threat of Hacking and Cyberattacks

August 1, 2017 Information Security

Hacker here? No way!

Hacking and cyberattacks just happen in the movies or in other businesses. It could never happen to me. Wrong.

As Hansel said to Derek Zoolander in the movie Zoolander, “The results are in amigo…what is left to ponder?” The results are in regarding cybersecurity threats, and can no longer be ignored. Cyberattacks and data breaches are fast becoming a reality for most businesses and agencies.

Protect What is Valuable

According to a Pew Research Center study, “The Internet has become so integral to economic and national life that government, business, and individual users are targets for ever-more frequent and threatening attacks.”

Here are some questions, with some basic answers, that we receive almost every day from clients:

• Who are these “hackers?” Hackers don’t have a typical profile like you would see on TV or in the movies.  They can be anyone and everyone.  Young kids, organized syndicates, governments, your neighbor, people who couldn’t setup a home Wi-Fi but are capable enough to pay for a scripted site to execute malicious code via an Amazon gift card.

• Why would they attack me or my business? It doesn’t matter if it is curiosity, retaliation, money, competition, or some other reason. Whatever the drivers maybe, the fact is they are all equally as dangerous in the risk they pose to us at home and our businesses.

• How dangerous are these attacks? Stop and think of all the data you have accessible online: credit card information, health information, banking and saving accounts, social security information, proprietary and valuable business assets, to name a few. You are probably aware there is a market for stolen identities, but did you know it takes only a matter of minutes to buy this information on the dark web? Loss or exposure of this data can cripple you personally and equally destroy your business.

As technology evolves and our dependency grows, so do the threats.  Knowing about the threats of hacking and cyberattacks, how to identify them, and how to protect yourself and your business is really the best form of protection.  Contact us today for more information on how we can help protect you from hackers.