All you people out there who are leading the companies, please be aware of these top cyber threats as there is a high probability that your enterprise can confront them in 2018.
Obviously, ransomware attacks will get worse and Ransomware will lead the pack. However, as per a new report by Kaspersky Labs, cyber crooks are nowadays shifting their base to Cryptomining from ransomware, as they see the former as more lucrative than the latter. Some organizations will become intensively vulnerable as all their critically vulnerable data is still being protected by weak security measures at best. This includes banks, healthcare and some companies serving media and entertainment businesses.
An email will turn into an intense malware spreading medium– Yes, you have read it right as hackers are using spear phishing via email to good effect in 2017. And will do the same and even more in 2018. As spoofing is expected to become more sophisticated and email authentication will remain little used, there is a high probability that some company employees can transfer large amounts of money based on just an email request and then repent afterward.
Data-intensive companies will become high-value targets, meaning organizations which have data which is of high value for cybercriminals are expected to be vulnerable targets. However, the attack possibility will be slightly different as your business partner with whom you have the close relationship can become an easy target for your organization. That means, companies which are in your supply chain, clients, Eco-partners can become primary targets for cybercrime. So, be aware of all bogus invoices and spoofing orders and you better train your employees in such situations in advance.
Leaked exploits will become a menace in 2018. Remember the Eternal Blue exploit which was found by the National Security Agency in 2016 became a source to spread WannaCry Ransomware attack in May 2017 which disrupted NHS UK for weeks to the core and impacted more than 250,000 computers around the globe.
The staff of your company will remain at your weakest point as their stupidity might land your company in deep trouble. But you being the leader can help avoid a catastrophe by training your staff in advance on what is currently happening in the cyber landscape and stopping them from doing all dumb things, such as clicking on email links.
Ultimately, in the year 2018 security could turn into a priority to your company if in case you chose to show laxity in building up your cybersecurity defenses. And the reality is that this year determined cybercriminals will somehow try to break into your system. But you can limit the damage or mitigate it by creating backups and implementing advanced threat detection strategies.
