Cybercrime continues to rise, and cybercriminals are constantly updating their toolset. With so many potential threats to your business, you need a robust strategy to protect your organization from malicious hackers. Defense in Depth (DiD) is a cybersecurity approach that leverages multiple defensive methods that work in tandem to ensure bad agents can’t slip through the cracks. Since no individual security measure can guarantee protection against every attack, combining several layers of security can be more effective.
To illustrate just why this approach is necessary, here are the nine most-common threats to cybersecurity for businesses today:
1. Ransomware
This type of malware threatens to disclose sensitive data or blocks access to files/systems by encrypting it until the victim pays a ransom. Failure to pay on time can lead to data leaks or permanent data loss.
2. Phishing/Business Email Compromise (BEC)
Phishing is a cybercrime that involves a hacker masquerading as a genuine person/organization, primarily through emails or other channels like SMS. Malicious actors use phishing to deliver links or attachments that can harm your business by extracting login credentials, installing malware, etc. Similarly, BEC is a scam that involves cybercriminals using compromised or impersonated email accounts to manipulate victims into transferring money or sharing sensitive information.
3. Cloud Jacking
Cloud jacking, or cloud hijacking, exploits cloud vulnerabilities to steal an account holder’s information and gain server access. With an increasing number of companies adopting cloud solutions since the COVID-19 pandemic, IT leaders worry cloud jacking will become a significant concern in the near future.
4. Insider Threats
An insider threat originates from within a business. Anyone with access to sensitive data—from third-party vendors to current/former employees—can put your business at risk, even unknowingly. And it can be costly: according to a 2020 study by the Ponemon Institute, internal data breaches cost businesses $11.45 million annually, with 63% of incidents due to negligence. Because it originates from inside and may or may not be premeditated, an insider threat can be difficult to detect.
5. Denial-of-Service/Distributed Denial-of-Service (DoS and DDoS)
A DoS or DDoS attack happens when hackers flood the targeted system with multiple data requests, causing it to slow down or crash. These attacks are common and easy to carry out.
6.Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) Hacks
By developing an in-depth understanding of how businesses like yours guard against cyberattacks, AI and ML can also help hackers be more efficient.
7. Internet of Things (IoT) Risks and Targeted Attacks
IoT adoption is skyrocketing, and according to Statista, experts estimate that the total number of installed IoT-connected devices worldwide will amount to 30.9 billion units by 2025. Unfortunately, data sharing with no human intervention and inadequate legislation has made IoT a favorite target of cybercriminals.
8. Web Application Attacks
Vulnerabilities within web applications permit hackers to gain direct access to databases to manipulate sensitive data. Business databases are regular targets because they contain sensitive data, including Personally Identifiable Information (PII) and banking details.
9. Deepfakes
A deepfake is a cyberthreat that uses artificial intelligence to manipulate or generate audio/video content that can deceive end users into believing something untrue.
To keep sophisticated cyberthreats like these at bay, you need to develop a DiD strategy. We recommend layering multiple defensive methods, like firewalls, intrusion prevention and detection systems, endpoint detection and response (EDR), network segmentation, etc., to build a security fortress that’s hard to crack. DiD is an undertaking that takes time and effort. CHR can partner with you to develop, implement, and maintain a DiD strategy that suits the needs of your business, so you can focus on what you do best.
