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The 8 Most Common Forms of Cyberattack in 2023

Thu, 15 Jun 2023 15:33:07 GMT

The 8 Most Common Forms of Cyberattack in 2023

As cyber attacks become more advanced and intricate, being clued up on the different kinds of threats you’ll face is vital.

There are a plethora of different attacks in the arsenal of the modern attacker, so knowing what you’ll be up against is important for any modern organisation. By preparing yourself and knowing what you’re up against, you can ensure that you’re secure.

That’s why in this article, we’re going to go over the eight most common forms of cyberattack that you’ll face in 2023, and how you can get started in protecting yourself today.

1. Phishing

Phishing — the most common form of attack — is trying to trick someone to get their details. Usually using realistic-looking important emails from what would be a reputable source, a phishing attack aims to trick the victim into thinking that they’re someone else.

For example, common phishing attacks tend to be scammers pretending to be Amazon or a bank, trying to get card details off of unaware victims. These scams are easy to fall for if you’re not vigilant.

2. Malware-based Attacks

Malware is software that is used in a malicious manner. This will be software within your system that is usually built to do damage to your infrastructure. With this, hackers can easily cause significant damage throughout your system and steal your data.

Malware traditionally comes in the form of a trojan attack — named after the trojan horse, in which the malware is bundled with another piece of harmless software. This is an easy way to get the ‘payload’ (the virus) into your system to wreak havoc.

Enforcing security compliance throughout your organisation and educating on the dangers of downloading files from unknown sources is the best way to stop malware from entering your organisation.

Investing in good antivirus software throughout your business is also a way to stamp out malware at the roots. If you’re looking to get started with good antivirus software, get in touch with us today.

3. Denial of Service (DOS)

Denial of service (DOS) attacks are attacks that aim to simply disable the day-to-day infrastructure of a business. DOS attacks will usually send lots of requests to a server with the aim to overload it. This will deny service to your whole organisation and can be very crippling.

Tools like Azure DDOS Protect offer protection from DOS attacks by enforcing limits on the number of requests that can be sent to your server in one go. These attacks are simply stoppable by having the correct security — to make sure that you’re secure against DOS attacks, get in touch today.

4. Spoofing

Spoofing attacks are the type of attacks where the attacker masquerades as trusted personnel to push someone to do something. This attack uses social engineering to take advantage of a victim and manipulate them to the attacker’s ideal outcome.

IP Spoofing attacks are a specific kind of spoofing attack that comes with your typical DOS attack. This is when packets are altered to appear that they’re coming from a trusted network, to gain access to the server. This is why monitoring network activity within your organisation is crucial.

5. Credential Stuffing

Credential stuffing is when an attacker uses stolen credentials to try to log into as many websites as possible. The aim is to target those who reuse credentials — when the credentials are breached on one website, credential stuffing allows the attacker to try to access other websites and accounts using the same credentials.

If a victim is successfully breached, a hacker could potentially gain control of every account they have — including work accounts. This is why encouraging and enforcing good password hygiene is crucial (as well as ensuring password changes are enforced throughout your organisation).

6. Supply Chain Attacks

Supply chain attacks are intricate attacks in which an attacker would target a third-party organisation to try to launch an attack into your system by infecting their services with some kind of payload.

This is usually to try to cause crippling damage to your organisation in a completely unexpected way or to cause damage to multiple organisations at once.

The aim of this is to access a secure system from a much less secure breach point, to try to gain access to the organisation and breach through the security that is currently protecting your system.

7. Insider Threats

Insider threats are when an insider — someone within your organisation — does something to harm your organisation. This is uncommon, but can sometimes happen as part of revenge attacks or other forms of corruption.

The number of types of attacks that can occur from an insider is endless — from theft, to sabotage, and even physical violence, these can be hard to protect yourself against.

The best way to make sure that this isn’t a threat to you is to make sure to monitor staff and security and ensure that employees only have access to what they need to complete their tasks.

8. Man-in-the-Middle Attacks

A man-in-the-middle (MITM) attack is when something is intercepting communications between two points. This can be either to collect information or possibly even sabotage the communication between two points.

This is an attack which is often not used due to the key way to beat it — end-to-end encryption. End-to-end encryption is a must for any modern organisation, as it ensures that all data is transmitted between two points securely.

How We Can Secure Your Business

Cybersecurity knowledge is of utmost importance for any organisation looking to fend off any attackers and malicious users. By educating yourself and your organisation on these threats, you can ensure that your organisation is prepared and protected going forward.

There are software and tools available to help counteract cyber attacks, and they can be a huge help in keeping your organisation secure. If you’re looking to get started with security tools, get in touch with us today. We’ll be able to help secure your organisation and ensure that your security posture is unbreakable.

How to get the most out of the Azure Cloud

Thu, 05 Jan 2023 16:03:26 GMT

How to get the most out of the Azure Cloud

The Azure Cloud offers businesses of all sizes and industries functionality that can increase productivity and enable innovation whilst decreasing overall costs. This may be through replacing existing physical infrastructure, or making use of next generation technologies such as AI and machine learning. However, migrating to the Azure Cloud does not guarantee cost savings as running workloads in the cloud without managing costs can result in unexpectedly high bills. Thankfully there are many tools within Azure to assist businesses to manage budgets effectively. In this article we discuss how businesses can get the most out of the Azure Cloud through effective cost management, next generation technologies, and by strengthening their security posture.

Take Advantage of Big Data Analytics

A side effect of technology-reliant businesses is that they collect an exorbitant amount of data. This includes everything from data relating to customers and their buying habits to data captured from business processes. This data can be analysed to help businesses make better informed decisions to ensure long term sustainable growth. However, there are two key hurdles to overcome to truly drive value from captured data: storage and analytics.

For businesses to take advantage of big data analytics, first they must have an effective method of storing the necessary data. Azure has database options to suit all businesses and use cases.

Make use of Azure Cost Management

Regardless of what workload a business hosts in the Azure Cloud, it’s important to make the most of Azure Cost Management to get the best value for money. A simple way to do this is by using the cost analysis section of Azure Cost Management. This enables business owners to view projections of future costs based on current usage. It’s also possible to enter a spending budget, and if usage looks likely to go over budget, they are able to take steps to reduce consumption.

Businesses can also set alerts within the budgets section of the Cost Management tool for when a certain budget percentage is reached. When the alert is triggered, an email is sent to inform the business owner. This early notification makes it easier for businesses adjust their consumption to ensure they do exceed budget.

Both of these suggestions will help business owners to stay within spending limits whilst using the Azure Cloud. However, to optimise costs, it’s possible to use the advisor recommendations section of the Cost Management Tool. This section gives actionable recommendations of how to optimise costs to get the best value for Azure spend.

Enable SSO and MFA in Azure AD

Businesses that use Microsoft 365 are already making use of Azure Active Directory, Microsoft identity and access management platform but not all are getting the most out of the solution. Within Azure Active Directory it’s possible to enable Single Sign-On (SSO)which allows users to activate one set of login credentials for a multitude of Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) applications. Enabling SSO increases productivity as users do not need to enter multiple login credentials and it increases security, as users only need to remember one long, complex password, rather than many.

Within Azure AD, it’s also possible to enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) - an authentication process where a user must provide two or more forms of identification to login into their account. Azure AD Multi-Factor Authentication requires two or more of the following authentication methods: something you know (typically a password), something you have (typically a trusted phone or hardware key), and something you are (typically biometrics, such as a fingerprint or face scan). Enabling MFA greatly increases security and can stop 99.9% of account compromise attacks , as even if a cybercriminal knows a user’s login credentials, they can’t access their account.

Want to get the most out of the Azure Cloud?

These are just some of the many ways businesses can work more productively, save money and increase security through the Azure Cloud. Contact us today if you want to take the next step in making the most of cloud computing.

Lack of Resources and Expertise

Thu, 08 Dec 2022 23:25:15 GMT

There exists a skills and resources gap that’s limiting cloud expansion. Existing IT teams often lack the expertise needed to migrate and take advantage of a cloud deployment.

Resources are a problem too. According to research by iland, 83% of businesses say a lack of migration resources has delayed their cloud migration, with 12% stating this has prevented migration entirely.

What’s the solution? We recommend:

· Resource planning: to understand what resources and infrastructure is needed to facilitate a successful cloud migration and management.

· Outsourcing to a skilled MSP: to off-load expertise-heavy tasks and benefit from the guidance of cloud experts.

Working with an MSP can help plug these gaps. A managed cloud solution offloads the responsibility of planning and managing your cloud infrastructure, providing valuable assistance to your IT staff.

Common Cloud Management Problems and How to Solve them

Thu, 08 Dec 2022 22:05:08 GMT

Streamline your cloud migration & management with a Managed Service Provider (MSP)

Cloud migrations offer businesses some complex challenges. You can streamline this process by working with a cloud migration expert.

Managed service providers will help you plan a successful migration, identify and mitigate any possible pitfalls, and assist you with setting up your cloud environment.

Cloud management shouldn’t stretch your IT capacity. Outsourcing your cloud management responsibilities ensures you’re getting the most out of your modern, scalable cloud computing infrastructure.

Cloud providers don’t implement security controls correctly

Thu, 08 Dec 2022 21:57:45 GMT

Cloud computing can introduce some security concerns if the cloud provider doesn’t offer the right security controls and measures to keep your data safe.

In theory, the cloud is less secure than on-premises systems. As your data is accessed through the internet, there’s always the possibility that information can be intercepted or your system could be hacked remotely.

That’s why cloud security controls are so important, as they help mitigate the risk of a security vulnerability. Fortunately, cloud service providers like Azure and AWS have implemented some great security features to protect your cloud infrastructure.

These include:

· Deterrent controls: to discourage attackers by warning them of other controls

· Preventative controls: prevent attacks by plugging security flaws

· Detective controls: to detect ongoing attacks by monitoring network traffic

· Corrective controls: to limit the damage of cyber attacks by shutting down cloud servers or limiting data access

Many cloud providers don’t implement strong enough controls. Some of these features may not even be enabled by default.

Working with a reputable managed service provider (MSP) can help ensure you’re picking the right cloud platform, and ensure your security controls are configured correctly.

ce9d4097

The 8 Most Common Forms of Cyberattack in 2023

The 8 Most Common Forms of Cyberattack in 2023

1. Phishing

2. Malware-based Attacks

3. Denial of Service (DOS)

4. Spoofing

5. Credential Stuffing

6. Supply Chain Attacks

7. Insider Threats

8. Man-in-the-Middle Attacks

How We Can Secure Your Business

How to get the most out of the Azure Cloud

How to get the most out of the Azure Cloud

Lack of Resources and Expertise

Common Cloud Management Problems and How to Solve them

Top 4 cloud management problems that businesses face after cloud migration

Streamline your cloud migration & management with a Managed Service Provider (MSP)

Cloud providers don’t implement security controls correctly

Cloud computing can introduce some security concerns if the cloud provider doesn’t offer the right security controls and measures to keep your data safe.