Cyber Security for 2020

10 Jan 2020

Do you know your phishing from your spidering? Are you aware of dictionary attacks? TH March offers advice on ensuring that your business is target-proof.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) recently released its 2019 annual review, outlining the top forms of cyber-attack that both UK individuals and organisations experienced during the year. Be sure to review the following data points for a better understanding of the biggest cyber-threats facing your organisation and best practices for bolstering your cyber-security programme.

Phishing attacks

The NCSC removed over 177,000 UK-based phishing websites from the internet in the past year. Cyber-criminals use these sites to trick users into unknowingly revealing their personal information. This technique has consistently become more sophisticated and destructive over time. Use these tips to reduce your organisation’s phishing risks:

• Train employees on how to detect and report any signs of phishing (e.g. emails from unknown senders, suspicious links or unsecure web addresses)
• Conduct routine software updates
• Install anti-malware and virus protection on all organisational devices

International threats

Of the cyber-incidents that the NCSC has handled, a significant portion of attacks came from hostile nations—including Russia, China, Iran and North Korea. To mitigate your organisation’s international cyber-threats:

• Ensure compliance with all GDPR requirements regarding international data operations
• Communicate with your local authority if you suspect an international cyber-threat

Payment card fraud

The NCSC detected over one million instances of suspected payment card fraud this past year. If your company utilises e-commerce, this is a top concern. Implement this guidance to limit your risk of payment card fraud:

• Make sure your organisation’s website has the proper controls to prevent hackers from infiltrating your payment system.
• Choose a trusted payment processor for all online transactions

More than anything, you need robust cyber-insurance to protect against these evolving cyber risks. Talk to your insurance broker for advice!

A quick word on PASSWORDS

Password cracking is one of the most common ways that cyber-criminals gain access to sensitive company information. That’s why ensuring your organisation takes appropriate steps to bolster password protection techniques is crucial in preventing a cyber-attack. Have a look at these top password-cracking methods, according to technology experts:

• Dictionary attack—This technique allows the hacker to quickly test simple one-word phrases to crack the user’s password. Examples include ‘password’, ‘administrator’ or ‘computer’
• Phishing—Cyber-criminals can utilise email phishing to crack passwords by using a fake identity or website to trick the victim into providing their password. For example, the hacker could impersonate the victim’s bank provider and send an email requiring them to log in to a fraudulent portal to manage their account information
• Malware—this form of attack occurs when the hacker uses malware to record the victim’s screen without their knowledge and screenshot their password
• Spidering—This method entails the cyber-criminal studying information about your organisation and attempting to crack users’ passwords with words or phrases connected to the company. Hackers might use your organisation’s website, marketing materials or competitor information to compile potential passwords

With these password-cracking tactics in mind, consider the following action items to strengthen your organisation:

• Establish complexity requirements for all employees. This includes making passwords longer than eight characters, using upper- and lower-case letters, and including numbers or special characters
• Restrict employees from using personal or company information in their passwords
• Instruct employees to never share their password online
• Have employees routinely update their passwords
• Install anti-malware protection on all devices

TH March offer a wide range of cyber insurance cover options. Be prepared and ensure you implement suitable protection to help deter hackers from targeting your business.

Contact TH March on 01822 855555 to obtain a FREE quote.