Negosentro | How Do Hackers Target Your Business? | A hacker’s motivations vary and can be unpaid, part of a political protest, or for personal satisfaction. The reasons are unknown and unknowable. However, one thing is certain; hackers are attacking businesses every day. They’re technically skilled, motivated, and have a lot to gain from insights about your business. What’s worse is that many organizations don’t even realize they’re being hacked until it’s too late. Businesses need to be prepared when conducting business online or through their apps. It starts with understanding the types of attacks possible, what you can do to minimize your risk of privacy-compromising hacks, and the types of companies likely to be targeted next by hackers.
The hackers behind the recent breach of LinkedIn, Dropbox, and other big companies have access to your data because they’re hacking unprotected systems. How do they get access? People who have been hacked will tell you to “Follow the Money.” They’ll watch people who are involved in a project and follow them back to their external accounts. When they find something suspicious, they’ll try to figure out what type of work is being done so they can begin targeting vulnerable systems.
Preventative measures
An often overlooked key step is asking your teams to complete online security training. This will help to protect you from many common cyber attacks.
Attackers typically target businesses that are:
- In advanced stages of the design process and have access to highly sensitive information about the company, its employees, and its partners
- During a merger or acquisition
- Conducting research on new products or services
- Appointed as a fiduciary for other businesses (for example, when dealing with investments)
- Conducting business in regions of high political unrest, like Crimea, Iraq, or Syria.
The best way to protect your organization is to be proactive. Think like a hacker and assume they’re already inside your network while planning your defenses so you can monitor activity in real-time.
How do hackers target your business?
Hackers are always looking for ways to get in. Although there are many types of attacks, the three most common ones are:
- Social engineering—Using social relationships and prior knowledge of how the organization works to fool employees into giving up passwords or accessing sensitive information.
- Vulnerability scanning—A hacker will search for known points of vulnerability and attempt to exploit these weaknesses.
- Brute force attacks—A hacker will try every possible password combination until one is successful.
When a hacker gains access to any kind of network, they begin by trying to find a way in via either open doors or existing security measures. They have to identify the security teams in the organization and then assess their routes into systems. This is called an initial reconnaissance phase of a cyber attack. This stage aims to identify where the vulnerabilities lie before developing a plan to exploit them.
Beware of the potential dangers of your business being hacked. Your IT teams are responsible for securing sensitive information and an organization’s brand. It is important to keep up with current threats so you can keep your business safe.
