Nearly 350 million. That’s how many internet users were affected by more than 2,300 cyberattacks in 2023, according to Forbes. The goal of such malicious actions is usually to access personal and financial data, expropriate certain resources and files, commit cyber fraud, demand ransom, and many other crimes. Regarding investments in cybersecurity, for the same period they reached a value of nearly 9 billion dollars, and forecasts point to further growth, given the increasing sophistication and number of attacks targeting various users and online businesses.
In this article we explain why the topic is important for every user and why and how businesses with an online presence must protect themselves from cyberattacks.
How to Recognize Cyber Threats and Attacks
Whether it’s a suspicious message prompting urgent action (phishing), a targeted attack aimed at service denial (DDoS) or software that locks your data and files demanding ransom, online threats to users or online business owners are becoming ever more complex to detect and prevent.
Our own actions, or lack thereof, are often the main causes of cyberattacks – from the way we surf the internet, to our passwords or the means we use to store them. And no matter how carefully you browse online, you can never be fully protected without additional tools and technologies.
Protection and Prevention Against Cyberattacks
Even if you don’t have the ability to invest in cybersecurity, there are several fundamental steps you can take to protect your activity and the data of users interacting with your business:
- User and employee training – one of the most frequently neglected steps that can save headaches and losses for businesses, and should be carried out regularly. Inform users of current cyber threats and remind them to follow best practices to prevent various vulnerabilities.
- Firewalls – they control or filter network traffic to protect systems from various attacks or to limit the consequences of their occurrence.
- Antivirus programs – they are typically responsible for detecting, blocking, and removing various types of malicious software.
- Password brute-force protection systems – measures and technologies used to prevent attacks where attackers make automated attempts to find user passwords.
- Password complexity and renewal standards – setting criteria users must meet when creating and regularly updating passwords, such as length, use of different types of symbols, avoiding commonly used words and other mistakes that users often make due to carelessness.
- Multi-factor authentication (MFA) – a method that enhances login security by requiring at least two unrelated authentication methods. Most commonly, one is a password and the other is an additional verification performed by the user through a different device or platform.
- Incident Detection Systems (IDS) – these are devices or software that monitor and analyze network traffic to detect unusual or potentially malicious activity. Such systems can provide extremely early warnings of the start of a multi-step attack.
- Regular software updates – regardless of the software you use, make sure it is always updated to the latest version with the highest level of protection and optimization.
- Data and file backup – this is the process of saving copies of data or information in digital or physical format to ensure access to information in the event of data loss or corruption.
- Virtual Private Networks (VPN) – such networks create authorized and encrypted connections between devices, limiting the possibility of eavesdropping on traffic.
- Encryption of protocols – the encryption of protocols such as SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) or its successor TLS (Transport Layer Security) is a method of creating an encrypted connection between two applications, ensuring the confidentiality and integrity of data transmitted over the network, and seriously reducing the possibilities for various types of attacks.
- Out-of-Band Management (OOBM) Networks – specialized physical networks that allow monitoring and management of network devices and servers. Usually, they are combined with highly restrictive firewalls, brute-force protection systems, and incident detection systems.
Start with Your Web Hosting Service
Many of the above are not just best practices but mandatory elements for the online security of your business and its clients and users. That’s why it’s important to have as many of these tools and technologies as possible, many of which can be handled by the server solutions provider you use.
In the various Cloud VPS service plans at AbsCloud, we include all necessary online security solutions your business needs to function securely online. Among them are:
- Reliable backups
- Independent data centers
- Antivirus and Firewall protection
- SPAM protection
- DDoS protection
- Full compliance with all GDPR requirements for processing and storage of personal data
Additionally, our services include reliable procedures and security measures, as well as a guarantee of service continuity in emergency situations such as power outage or internet connection loss, etc.
Is Your Online Business Protected?
You can check how well your business is protected online by taking advantage of our IT Audit service. This will provide you with an independent assessment of your company's technological status and make you aware of current digital threats, as well as vulnerabilities you currently have.
Request an IT Audit from AbsCloud