There are several means and services to minimize the impacts of attacks and security breaches on companies in the digital world , but even so, internet access and data communication will never be 100% secure . The means by which information spreads in the digital world are diverse and extensive, ranging from sending an email , to browsing the most varied websites, to chatting on instant communication software.
In this scenario, corporations are losing control of their data and the activities of their employees in the digital world, thereby running the risk of being more vulnerable to attacks from hackers, malware and malicious websites, which allows access to computers and information of the company, harming productivity and generating huge losses for companies.
APT attack and the negative impact on the digital world
Among the countless forms of attack, there is the Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) , which are cyber threats with the practice of espionage based on some software that was downloaded onto the user's machine. This type of attack is targeted and focuses on capturing and stealing information from strategic people within the corporation. In attacks like this, hackers go unnoticed by detection systems for a long period of time as they try to steal critical information.
Brazil is the country in Latin America with the highest rate of APT attacks and 74% of security professionals believe they will be targets of this type of threat in the digital world, according to a study by the Information Systems Audit and Control Association. This is just one type of existing malware, as in addition to APTs there is also Ransomware , Pishing , Spyware , viruses , among others.
Can SMEs be targets of attacks?
Contrary to what many think, these attacks do not only capture information from large companies, but also from small and medium-sized companies, often being the preferred focus of cybercriminals. It can also be said that today small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) are the most affected by hacker attacks , according to surveys carried out.
This happens mainly because small and medium-sized companies are often not concerned about company security and threats from the digital world. They believe that virtual attacks will not reach their team or company, or that they can reach, but they do not have the capacity to invade the entire corporate network.
How do APT attacks happen?
In the case of APTs, attacks begin with the classification of the people who will be targeted. After the targets have been identified, phishing emails (emails designed to capture information about companies and people) and/or software download links are sent. After the user downloads or accesses the phishing email, malicious programs are installed on the computers, with the function of capturing information and generating problems on the internal network.
Hackers use Social Engineering to infect companies, thus defining targets and starting to send requests and information to these targets in order to capture confidential data and complete their attack.
The ultimate goal of an APT attack is to target the machine on which there is some type of valuable information. The machines that hackers most often look for in search of important data are the equipment of company owners or managers, however, it is more complicated to break into these people's computers, due to their hierarchical level and also the greater care they take in relation to security.
As a result, these cybercriminals who practice APTs invade other computers and use this springboard equipment to reach their final objective. In an accounting office, for example, the APT invasion takes place on a company employee, then the hacker uses that employee's email to send a document or request to the company owner, when he opens the email it will already be infected.
To inhibit this type of attack and others that exist in the digital world, it is necessary to take some actions:
- engineering and employee awareness
Those who hold your business information are your employees, who are constantly sending and receiving emails and browsing the Internet, in addition to having a social life outside the company. Employees must be made aware and educated that the information they circulate on a daily basis is confidential and also shown the risk involved when we disclose this information to anyone. Good training, with lectures on social engineering, is very important.
A good practice is to use a safe internet usage manual for your company. This way, your team can better understand how to use the internet correctly, ethically and responsibly, thus avoiding virtual attacks and maintaining productivity.
- Software Updates:
It is important to keep the operating system and other software packages on the equipment up to date. The updates include several corrections and improvements related to information security, which, as seen previously, are very relevant to prevent attacks in the digital world. Additionally, many updates bring benefits to users, such as a newer version, updated tools, features , and more applications.
Even if the program does not signal the need to install a recent version , it is necessary to always keep an eye on new updates. Technology evolves daily and if the company is not in the habit of updating the software versions of its equipment, it runs the risk of suffering major attacks or even being left out of the market.
- Management of Internet access resources
In addition to educating employees, it is important to implement some security and access control services, blocking access to malicious and phishing websites. These services increase your company's protection against threats from the digital world, making the network secure and the team productive.
It is important to protect the company from threats in general, applying options together and minimizing the impact of insecurity on business, to make your company increasingly productive and profitable.
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