Published: March 21, 2020 on our newsletter Security Fraud News & Alerts Newsletter.
It’s not good news for business owners and their employees. Malwarebytes Labs recently released its Cybercrime Tactics and Techniques Q1 2019 report showing a 235% growth in cyberattacks on businesses in just one year. Not only did the report find a huge jump in cybercrime, it also revealed email phishing is still the favorite hacking tool of choice. The report is packed with some alarming data showing overall, the increase in attacks against businesses are rapidly growing, while those targeting consumers are in decline by 40%–but don’t be fooled. Hackers are continually improving their tactics and content. They can catch more consumers by attacking the larger target–companies that consumers do business with. It’s clear that employees are in the cross hairs, and with so much at stake, experts agree employee education is crucial to the future success of businesses everywhere.
Those hit hardest are small-to-medium sized business (SMBs), with research showing 60% of SMBs go out of business within six months of a cyberattack. It’s not just email phishing that companies must worry about. The report also shows adware attacks are up over 200% in just one quarter. Emotet malware, which uses email phishing and botnets to maximize its impact, rose almost 650% in one year, with ransomware also up more than 500% in the same year. The good news is the virtual elimination of cryptomining attacks against consumers. Although Android owners have taken the lion’s share of cyberattacks, the report finds those against Mac devices are up 60%, while hacks targeting all mobile devices have increased.
With employees being the front-line keeping their companies and your data safe, the more prepared they are to catch email phishing and adware, the safer everyone is. One of the first things cyber education teaches “Think before you click,” are words to survive by. Infected email attachments and unsolicited links are waiting for those employees with an itchy clicker-finger, as are adware pop-ups and redirected pages. Ongoing education keeps employees aware of hacking trends that break out of the expected attack landscape. Awareness of current and evolving threats is not a “one and done” situation. It must continue throughout the year. Individual users know they are responsible for their own cybersecurity, but those on the front lines have a much larger responsibility–keeping their companies and their customer data safe from attack.
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