The term “cyber awareness” is increasingly used at the business level. Currently, the world of computing and technology is advancing by leaps and bounds, so new terms appear daily that are important to know.
With technological advances, various references to topics arise hand in hand with these advances. One of those terms is cyber consciousness or also known as cyber consciousness.
Although the term is quite suggestive, it is vital to know why it is so important to measure, monitor and promote it. This time, at Virtual CNS, we want to dig deeper into what that term means, and why it’s so important to small businesses.
What is cyber awareness?
The so-called cyber awareness is a term that refers to how much end users know about the cyber security threats that their networks face. In the same way, it refers to the knowledge about the risks that networks present and what are the best security practices that must be implemented.
As is normal, all businesses, regardless of their size, must ensure that their employees are best prepared to face all kinds of threats, minimizing the risks of the business suffering a loss.
Why does the term cyber awareness place so much emphasis on end users? Basically, because the end user is considered the weakest link, and therefore, the greatest vulnerability in a network.
Since users are a weak link, the use of technical means to improve security is not enough. Small and medium-sized companies must also worry about reducing the risk of the human element, that is, the end user.
Importance of cyber awareness.
The importance of cyber awareness lies in the fact that you can keep your company’s networks totally secure. As we have mentioned before, it is not enough to have sophisticated security systems if the human element does not know how to recognize or act against cyber threats.
A good way to increase cyber awareness is by providing a guide on security best practices to make end users aware of cyber security. This includes teaching employees what the most frequent threats are, how to avoid them and, above all, how to act when faced with them. But what are the main cyber threats?
Main cyber threats for small and medium-sized companies.
Cyber awareness alerts us and prevents us from cyber threats. Currently, there are more and more such threats, constantly renewing themselves. For this reason, cybernetic awareness is vital today, since employees will be able to recognize them and provide an effective solution in these cases. Some of the most common threats are the following
– Phishing.
Phishing is one of the most popular attacks on the Internet. Its great danger is that it seeks to deceive the end user, without the need to hack established security systems.
It commonly tricks users into clicking a link in an email or on a website. What is sought is to extract and disclose confidential information. It is an attack that is generally based on a mass mailing approach.
Despite deceiving few targets, by sending so many emails, it is possible for many to click on those links. Obviously, these emails impersonate websites, major companies, and official organizations in order to trick users.
– Social engineering.
Social engineering uses a compelling story, an authority site, or any other means in order to convince the end user to hand over sensitive information. Generally, this information is usually users, passwords or any other relevant and confidential data.
Cyber-aware end users are fully capable of recognizing attacks of this type, increasing their ability to prevent them.
-Ransomware.
For many, Ransomware is one of the most popular cyber threats in recent years. This is an attack that is carried out on the computer system, but it is usually the result of a social engineering attack.
What is dangerous in this case is that this malware is capable of encrypting the data and retaining it to later extort a ransom. That, without a doubt, can paralyze the computer system of any company, regardless of its size.
Ransomware is a major security threat, so we have dedicated an article specifically talking about this topic: What is a Ransomware and how to Prevent this Cyberattack?
– Malware.
One of the most well-known security threats is malware. In this case, it is software that is used for malicious purposes.
Malware can be of different types including worms, viruses, trojans, cryptojacking, spyware, and rootkits, to name just a few. One of the big reasons why the term cyber awareness arose is precisely to prevent malware attacks.
– Internet of things.
The Internet of Things is a cyber attack that was born in the 21st century. What this type of attack achieves is taking advantage of vulnerabilities in devices integrated into other computers. Almost always, it’s about equipment vulnerabilities in refrigerators, cars, digital assistants, or smart speakers.
With so many threats, it is normal that the best option for our company is to train employees well to recognize them. That is why cyber awareness training is very important, as our employees will recognize threats immediately.
Taking into account that close to 90% of cyber incidents and security problems in company networks are caused by human action, it is important to pay attention to training and education in the face of threats.
For that reason, small businesses need to pay close attention to cyber awareness, drive education to reduce attacks, and implement a strong cybersecurity culture.
At Virtual CNS we specialize in the security of small and medium-sized companies. Discover all our services in the following link: Managed it services for small businesses.