5 Cyber Security Threats Managed Services Can Shield Your Business From

With cyber criminals making record profits, you absolutely need to take potential cyber attacks seriously. Despite the devastating impact cyber criminals could have on companies, many simply aren’t prepared.

If you want to get the best possible protection for your company against cybercrime, you need to work with a cyber security managed services provider. Cyber security services are invaluable because professionals have extensive expertise about the full range of cyber threats your company might face.

So what are some of the main cyber security threats managed security services could shield your company from? Read on to find out more.

Ransomware Attacks

One of the big cyber attacks a cyber security managed services company can protect you from is ransomware. Ransomware attackers are increasingly targeting small businesses, so companies need to do all they can to protect themselves.

The way ransomware works is fairly simple, but it is one of the biggest cyber security risks because it’s so effective. A ransomware attack involves tricking a user into opening a malicious file.

This malicious file then applies unbreakable encryption to the user’s files. The only way to get your files back is to get your hands on a decryption key that only the attacker can provide.

The attacker will demand you pay a ransom to get the decryption key. Thankfully, a managed security services company can help you to strengthen your cyber security against ransomware attacks.

When cyber security services help you with implementing a robust backup system at your organization, you’ll have the ability to revert to a previous configuration. This renders the ransomware attack useless because you don’t need to pay the ransom anymore.

Phishing Attacks

Another attack that a cyber security service provider can protect you from is phishing attacks. Phishing attacks are when a cyber-criminal tricks a victim into revealing their password. A common way to do this is to direct users to a fake login page that looks real.

When users put in their credentials, the password goes straight to the attacker.

Again, a cyber security service provider can help you to address this threat. One of the best ways cyber security services can protect against phishing is by setting up two-factor authentication.

Two-factor authentication is when every login needs to be verified by a second device. For example, you might receive a text message on your phone with a confirmation code.

This kind of defence will greatly strengthen your cyber security because it renders having a single password fairly useless. Cybercriminals will need to compromise multiple devices if they want to break into a system protected by two-factor authentication.

Insider Threats

Did you know that some of the biggest threats to small businesses actually come from within the organization? In some cases, an insider threat might even collaborate with cyber criminals to attack your organization.

Unlike purely external forms of cybercrime, insider threats represent a significant challenge. You can’t prevent insiders from getting into your system. They already work for your company, so they already have access.

With this said, there are still some ways a cyber security managed services company could help you. For example, a managed security services company might segment your network. This means workers only have access to the parts of the network they need to do their jobs.

While this wouldn’t totally protect you from an insider, it does significantly limit the damage one could do to your company.

Patching Software

Many companies are unaware of the cyber security risks associated with not keeping software updated. While software updates provide you with new features, there’s also a security component as well.

Hackers and cybercriminals are always looking for new ways to exploit software to their advantage. Often, they’ll find bugs in software they can use to break into systems. Eventually, the developers will become aware of this issue and release a patch that will effectively close the security gap.

Unfortunately, many users choose to delay or even ignore the updates. In other cases, users might not be aware that a security update is available. Cyber security managed services can help you to close these security holes by ensuring your software is always updated.

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attacks

DDoS attacks are when cyber criminals flood a server with requests. The requests are so frequent that they prevent the server from functioning correctly. This means legitimate users won’t be able to access the site, or that the site will be so slow that users will consider it unusable.

In some cases, criminals may try to extort small businesses by using the threat of a DDoS attack. If you don’t pay the attackers, they’ll initiate a DDoS attack to prevent your website from working.

If you’re a company that relies on a functioning website to operate, this could cause a significant problem for your organization. The good news is that help is at hand. A managed security services company can implement robust and powerful DDos protection.

Sophisticated DDoS detection tools can be used to determine which traffic is genuine and which is illegitimate. By blocking the illegitimate traffic, the DDos attack is rendered useless, and your site will stay functional.

Cyber Security Managed Services Are Essential: Given the devastating impact a cyber attack could have on your company, you absolutely need to work with a cyber security managed services company. Professionals providing cyber security services use their technical expertise to keep your company safe from cybercriminals.

If you don’t have robust cyber defences in place, it’s only a matter of time before criminals target your organization and take advantage. Are you ready to implement strong cyber security at your organization? Contact us today and let us explain more about how we can help keep your company safe.