Over the last few years, we seem to have exposed hack after hack. Capital One is one of the most astounding hacks of the year. It appears that Paige Thompson, the hacker, committed the hack in a bid to get a job offer.
It just goes to show that you can never really tell what goals a potential hacker or cybercriminal might have. As evidenced by the $445 billion lost to cybercrime last year, most cybercriminals are in it for the money.
And they’re getting quite creative about how they get it. Much like a real-world protection racket, ransomware involves you paying a fee to restore access to your system. Just like the gangsters in the real world, the hackers create the problem by locking you out of your computer and then make you pay to solve it.
And, we’re not talking about small amounts here. Companies need to spend on average between $500 and $2 000 per ransom demand, and there’s no money-back guarantee. Hackers often end up demanding more than one payment. The victim just has to hope that they’ll be given back control.
There are plenty of other tricks up the cybercriminal’s sleeve. Phishing emails are indistinguishable from the real thing unless you really know what to look for, and hackers are constantly finding new ways to exploit system weaknesses.
Sadly enough, the weakest point in the system is the human element. It doesn’t matter that you have the best security in the world if someone falls for a phishing email. That’s why it’s essential to have a multi-faceted approach to defense. That way, there’s always some backup if one defense measure is breached.
If you’re not sure where to start, scroll down a little. You’ll see a comprehensive infographic on the state of cybercrime in 2019 and how you can defend yourself and your business.
