Cyberthreats are harmful activities committed with the intent of destroying, stealing, or disrupting your data. Thats why cybersecurity is essential for data protection and business continuity, one of the biggest challenges facing companies today.
Cyberthreats can have devastating consequences, such as loss of critical data, disruption of operations, and loss of customer trust, which can cause irreparable damage to the brand’s reputation. To learn more about protecting against these attacks, we invite you to visit our blog “Cybersecurity: are companies really prepared for cyberattacks?”
Five years ago, cybersecurity became a growing concern as digital technologies became increasingly integral to our personal and professional lives. News of cyber attacks on businesses and government organizations became increasingly common, and the threat of data loss or personal privacy violation was real.
Today, cyberthreats are even more critical, as attackers have increased their sophistication and frequency of attacks. In recent years, more than 2,500 attempts at clandestine access have been identified, representing a 112% increase compared to 2021. Cybercriminals are constantly searching for new ways to increase their revenue and are continually seeking new techniques or tools to expand the reach or impact of their objectives.
According to CrowdStrike, a US cybersecurity technology company, breakout time has become a critical factor in the fight against cyberthreats. The time it takes an adversary to move from an initially compromised host to another host within the victim’s environment has decreased from 98 minutes in 2021 to 84 minutes in 2022. Therefore, every second counts in the fight against cyber attacks.
Companies must take this time into account as responding within the breakout window will minimize the costs and damages caused by the attackers.
Therefore, it is essential for security teams to adhere to the 1-10-60 rule: detect threats in the first minute, understand the threats within 10 minutes, and respond within 60 minutes, thereby allowing them to quickly expel the criminal from the system before they leave the breached access point and begin moving through the infrastructure and network.
Currently, cloud migration is becoming increasingly common in business environments, but with it comes new security challenges. Adversaries have increased their focus on the cloud to amplify the impact of their attacks, with a 95% growth and the implementation of tactics, techniques, and procedures to exploit cloud configurations, seeking to eliminate account access, destroy data, remove resources, and disrupt services.
Financial Sector
Banks are a primary target for cyberthreats due to the large amount of confidential financial data they handle, such as credit card information, social security numbers, and other personal identification information. In 2022, banks worldwide suffered more than 10,000 attempted attacks per day, and this number is expected to increase in 2023 as attackers refine their techniques.
Technology Companies
Technology companies are under attack and led the list of interactive intrusions in 2022, experiencing an alarming 50% increase compared to 2021.
On the other hand, the education sector topped the list of Access Brokers, an illegal activity based on the abuse of compromised credentials acquired by information thieves or purchased in “underground stores.”
To address these threats, companies must be prepared and consider that cybersecurity is a continuous investment. Security measures should include a combination of prevention, detection, and response techniques to reduce the risk of attack and minimize the impact in the event of a security incident. Advanced security tools, such as behavior monitoring systems and AI-based threat detection, should also be considered to help quickly detect and respond to security threats.
5 key steps against cyberthreats
- Gain visibility into your security gaps: You cannot protect what you do not know. It is essential that your organization knows all of its assets and prioritizes visibility and IT hygiene enforcement across the company’s asset inventory.
- Prioritize identity protection: Non-malware attacks and attempts to obtain credentials have made it clear that a traditional endpoint-only solution is not enough. Integrated identity protection with close correlation between endpoints, identity, and data is essential.
- Prioritize cloud protection: Adversaries are aggressively targeting cloud infrastructure. Stopping cloud breaches requires agentless capabilities to protect against configuration errors, identity-based attacks, combined with runtime security that protects cloud workloads.
- Know your adversary: Lack of knowledge about the adversary in a battle is equal to being unprepared. Invest in threat intelligence that goes beyond supplying IOCs and ensure that it also exposes the humans behind the attack, as well as their motivation, capabilities, and tools.
- Practice makes perfect: Security teams are the crucial link in the chain to stop breaches. It is essential to foster an environment that routinely conducts simulation exercises and red/blue team exercises to identify gaps and eliminate weaknesses in your cybersecurity practices and response. Additionally, security teams should not be the only ones practicing: initiate user awareness programs to combat the continuous threat of phishing and related social engineering techniques.
Implementing these five steps will help improve your organization’s cybersecurity and reduce the likelihood of a cyber attack. Remember that technology is essential, but practice and knowledge are equally important in maintaining the security of your company.
Cybersecurity is a critical concern for all businesses and organizations, regardless of their size or sector. Cyber attacks will remain a constant threat, and it is important for business leaders to understand the seriousness of the situation and take steps to protect their assets, data, and reputation.
To reduce the risk of attacks, robust security measures must be implemented and kept up-to-date. In addition, it is vital to train staff and establish an incident response plan to effectively respond to a security incident. Cybersecurity must be a strategic priority in all organizations and should be considered a continuous investment to ensure long-term protection.
At Interfaz, we understand the importance of protecting the data and privacy of our clients. That’s why we offer a wide range of services designed to meet your specific needs. From security consulting to implementing protection measures and training employees in good security practices, we are here to help you stay safe.
Don’t risk your data and your business. Contact us for more information on how we can help you protect yourself. At Interfaz, we take cybersecurity seriously and are committed to helping you protect your business.