Common security gaps today. How to combat them?

Business Protection

Security breaches have become a growing concern in business environments. Unfortunately, cybersecurity is a discipline with a lot of future, partly due to the increasing complexity and severity of attacks. In light of this situation, what can your company do to protect itself? How can you keep your organization's data safe?

In the following sections, we will explain why it is so important to focus efforts on maintaining a high level of cybersecurity within your company. On the other hand, we analyze some of the security breaches and techniques that cybercriminals can exploit to challenge your business's defensive systems. And, if you stay until the end, we will explain the steps you should follow to stop worrying when choosing an expert cybersecurity company. Don't miss it!

The importance of cybersecurity in the current context

In the introduction of this article, we mentioned how necessary cybersecurity has become nowadays. However, allow us to delve a bit deeper into this matter by analyzing some of the reasons associated with this trend. Currently, companies generate vast amounts of data, most of which have very high value, not only for their own operations but also for external agents. In the current digital transformation process, all information is stored digitally. Keeping this in mind, it is easy to understand the tempting bounty that your company's data represents for cyber attackers.

Security breaches can have serious consequences for your business. Imagine for a moment that overnight, an attacker applies data encryption to your systems and the departments, either totally or partially, cannot operate. Initially, this halts a large part of the company's activity, which poses a problem for productivity and profitability. But it doesn't stop there. Important data has also been lost, many of them related to your customers. The key to accessing them is now held by a person demanding a ransom.

This situation is not a mere invention. It is something that many companies, administrations, and organizations have gone through. The worst part is that the consequences go far beyond the interruption of services. The financial loss can be enormous, but also the reputational damage. If customers stop trusting your business and stop seeing your company as a reliable partner, it will have long-term effects.

Taking into account everything analyzed, it is evident that digitalization, beyond its enormous advantages, forces the business market to apply more robust security measures. It has become indispensable to implement policies to improve password management, achieve secure remote access, and provide an effective incident response. It is also necessary for companies to thoroughly review the work done by their collaborators and partners in terms of cybersecurity.

The most common security breaches your organization may face

Given that companies are more exposed than ever, it has become essential to maintain a high level of protection. A first step to achieve this goal is to know the most common security gaps and stay updated on the new ones that arise. Let's see what they are.

Phishing y Spear Phishing

Phishing is a method that impersonates the identity of a subject in order to deceive the user. It can be done generically and in bulk, but also specifically. Then, it is known as spear phishing. For example, an attacker might send an email impersonating the company's IT department, requesting personal data or security keys.

Malware

A malware is a malicious program that seeks to infect a system with a specific purpose. To combat it, it is necessary to have tools such as an antivirus, a firewall, or security policies that involve constant network monitoring. It is also crucial to keep security updates up to date.

Ransomware

Ransomware is a program that encrypts the data of a computer system preventing access to the information. The decryption key is held by the attacker and is offered in exchange for a payment. In practice, it is a data hijacking.

Social Engineering

Social engineering is one of the main security breaches and is associated with other attacks. It can take various forms, such as tricking an employee into voluntarily revealing confidential data. Once the attacker has access to the systems, they apply a malicious attack.

Software Vulnerabilities

Attackers exploit software's own security gaps, such as a code error, to perpetrate the attack. In this sense, software patching, which closes the gaps, as well as constant vulnerability analysis, is crucial.

Unauthorized Access

Unauthorized access is often closely related to phishing and social engineering. Typically, attackers obtain access keys by deceiving a user who lacks the proper training to handle such a situation.

DDoS Attacks (Distributed Denial of Service)

The ataques de denegación de servicio (DDoS) consist of overwhelming a server by sending more requests than it can handle. This technique is often used to disable websites or digital platforms.

Credential theft

Brute force attacks can reveal the credentials of some users, especially if weak passwords and overly obvious usernames are used. Of course, through social engineering, it is also possible to steal credentials to gain unauthorized access to a system. In this regard, it is important to apply security audits to prevent the use of easily guessable keys.

Cloud Security

That the data is in the cloud does not mean that it is safe. In this sense, it is advisable to activate autenticación multifactor (MFA), which requires confirming the user's identity with two methods at the same time. It is also essential to implement different levels of access to information based on each user's responsibility.

Internet de las Cosas (IoT)

The dispositivos inteligentes can serve as a gateway for attackers. Therefore, it is essential that networks and infrastructures are designed in such a way that they take into account the protection of all connected elements.

Providers and third parties

External providers and agents can become the weakest link in the cybersecurity chain. It is very important to audit their practices in this regard to ensure that there are no vulnerabilities and security gaps.

Lack of awareness and training

Cybersecurity training is essential to keep data safe and prevent cyberattacks. If employees are well-versed in action protocols and avoid falling into social engineering traps, it is very likely that attackers will not be able to act on the organization.

Data theft

Data theft can materialize in many different ways. For example, there is a technique called SQL injection, which injects malicious code into a database in order to gain unauthorized access to information.

Risks derived from mobile devices

Finally, everything mentioned can be applied to both large infrastructures and dispositivos móviles. However, in the latter case, additional risks are added, such as the loss or theft of the device.

Hire a cybersecurity expert and gain peace of mind

Everything analyzed reminds us of the urgent need to implement a proactive cybersecurity strategy. Addressing security breaches is possible, although it requires effort. To avoid having to invest so much effort in this field and to apply the measures described in this article, many companies have decided to rely on a cybersecurity expert, a reliable technological partner who takes care of creating and implementing the most suitable protocols.
At SEIDOR, we have an expert team that is continuously updated in cybersecurity matters. We offer a complete CSIRT service that uses IBM QRadar technology, a security information and event management solution that monitors, detects, and provides a proactive response to cybersecurity threats. Contact us now and protect your digital assets!