Top Cybersecurity Threats To Be Wary of In 2021

The threat of cyberattacks is prominent not only to individuals, but to businesses as well, especially now. As more people work online, hackers are targeting more businesses, with an increasing number of techniques to circumvent the cybersecurity measures in place.

As with any technology, there are always updates and developments; however with that comes a rising trend of cyber techniques to steal your information that experts are warning us of. Here are some of the major ones of these that you might want to keep an eye out for in 2021 and beyond.

COVID-Related Phishing Attacks

Phishing is the process of trying to obtain information by posing as genuinely trustworthy sources. It is often carried out through email, and in many cases it can be very hard to spot. In particular, attackers are often clever enough to know to line up their phishing attacks with major events, which is likely to draw on into 2021 as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. It is more important than ever to double check email domains and sources before clicking on them.

Scammers Masquerading as Government Sources

There is a well-known type of scam that frequented the earlier days of the web where a so-called Nigerian prince would email asking for money. Even with his promise to send more money than received, it was quickly recognized as a scam. Today, the same scam is more subtle, and often personifies a government agency sending economic packages for those in need.

More Ransomware

Ransomware is one of the more frightening types of cybersecurity threats that occurs. In this scenario, an individual or a company experiences a shutdown of their system from a remote location. 

Usually, a message then flashes on the screen claiming that the system will be released again if the victim pays up—usually in the form of cryptocurrency like Bitcoin. Estimates suggest that a business will suffer a ransomware attack roughly every eleven seconds in 2021.

Breaching the Cloud

As businesses rely increasingly on the cloud, and cloud-related services, it’s no surprise that this is one area where criminals are focusing their attention. With the right security measures in place, the cloud service for businesses is secure, yet it is possible to breach when customers fail to implement cybersecurity protocols in the right way.

Remote Devices Under Attack

Another result of businesses asking their employees to work from home more often, is that there are more remote devices to maintain, which if improperly secured, are an increased risk to the company. This is one type of cybersecurity concern to keep on the radar over the coming year as more employees work from home. 

Generally, those home devices have not been patched and secured by the IT department of the company, meaning that they are simply not secure enough. Data breaches are therefore more likely and easier to undergo. If there is secure company data on those machines, then the risk is potentially even greater here.

Internet of Things Attacks

The Internet of Things (IoT) is essentially just the proliferation of non-traditional items being connected to the internet. There is potentially no limit to the kinds and number of products that eventually become web-connected, but this brings up some security issues which people need to be aware of going into 2021. 

As more organizations aim to implement IoT devices, this needs to be considered, as these items tend to lack robust security. Hackers can often gain control of those devices, and use that access to gain further access into the company’s systems.

As we can see, it has possibly never been more important to keep on top of a business’ cybersecurity. That is more easily said than done, and with so many different types of threats out there, it’s likely that many business owners are going to struggle to know where to begin. 

But a good first step is always going to be finding a managed services provider, who can provide cybersecurity management which ensures that there are no flaws in the security updates, and that your information is safe.