Cybersecurity threats and how to prevent them: Top 3 Cybersecurity threats

According to PWC research 71% of CEOs are very concerned about cyberattacks. It’s a valid concern. Cyberattacks happen constantly and it can seem like it’s only the matter of time until your organization is hit by a cybersecurity attack.
A cybersecurity breach can seem inevitable, but there are steps you can take to reduce the risk. Understanding the various attack vectors hackers can use is the first step to cybersecurity.
We will be discussing three types of security breaches in this post. We will discuss what they are and the best ways to prevent them. Let’s begin with the most prevalent and least technological threat: Social engineering.
What is Social Engineering?
Social engineering can be described as a broad term that covers many different types of scams and hacks. The basic idea is to manipulate members of an organisation to steal confidential information and gain unauthorized access. Phishing is one of the most popular social engineering techniques. Another example is impersonation. A hacker pretends to be an employee in order to gain information. Let’s start with phishing.
What is Phishing?
Phishing refers to when hackers send emails that appear legitimate but are not. The email is the bait, the hacker the fisherman, and the hacker the fisherman. Phishing attacks are designed to steal data by pretending to be an authority person or organization. Phishing emails are designed to appeal to the user’s need for urgency or any other psychological aspect that could get them to click the link. Let’s look at a quick example.
Let’s say that you received an email message from the “Human Resources Department”. The email states that your badge will expire tomorrow and that you must click the link to reserve a replacement time. If you don’t reserve a spot, your badge is going to expire and you won’t be able to return to work.
This email appeals directly to our sense of urgency. We don’t want our workplace to be closed. It appeals to our authority, i.e. our HR department is a legitimate source. If you click the link, you’ll be forwarded to a fake site that will ask you to enter your email address and password in order to reserve a replacement badge time. The hacker now has your username, password, and can cause untold damage to your organization.
How to Prevent Phishing Attacks
You can avoid phishing attacks by looking for red flags. You should ensure that all emails from outside your organization are placed in a separate folder.
Next, tell your IT staff to create phishing emails for employees to practice what to do if they are being phished. Many times, phishing emails have strange or misspelled words, as if the person who wrote them doesn’t know English.
Phishing attempts will appeal to employees’ sense of urgency to get them clicking the link. It will say, for example, “You will not be able to work at this location if you don’t update your address through this link.” Don’t click that link without thinking.
What is Impersonation?
Impersonation is the next type of social engineering. Hackers will pretend to be employees of an organization in order to reset their passwords. Hackers will often access logs that have been leaked onto the website. This can be used to gain information that they wouldn’t otherwise have. They call the IT department and provide information that is credible, such as employee numbers and date of birth.
How can impersonation attacks be prevented?
Employees who are well-trained and adhere to procedural guidelines can prevent impersonation attacks. Check the phone number the number is coming to. It is a red flag if it is not a recognised number. Ask for the “empl”