Cybersecurity and privacy are the biggest issues that IT Heads have to deal with because as technology is progressing at a rapid pace, it is becoming difficult to keep pace with the digital transformation. Companies are increasingly spending more and more to ensure that the websites and other web assets they use for business remain well protected from cyber-attacks and hackers. The concern is quite palpable in the attitude of CIOs towards spending generously for creating strong security cover that can save millions of dollars. The cost of hacked websites can be just too much not just only regarding business losses but also due to parting with sensitive business data that can have far-reaching effects. Despite the best efforts in setting up the best defense for websites, even the most prominent companies can be victims of a security breach. Here is a quick article on how to avoid being Scammed Online.
It is an irony that WordPress that powers almost 25% of websites are most vulnerable to cyber-attacks and hacking. Malware attacks happen on 30,000 sites every day, and due to business hacking, the majority of Americans (73%) fall victim to cybercrime of some type every year. For businesses, the financial losses from security breaches manifest in many ways. There is the massive cost of getting back the system back on its tracks after some criminal incidence and depending on the circumstances; companies may have to compensate affected customers. Consequent upon the attack, the spending on security is going to increase to prevent recurrence.
In this article, we will discuss how companies can keep up with the competition and the pace of innovation while protecting their web assets with confidence.
New Technology Brings New Risks
Investment in technology is nothing new because achieving higher productivity by using technology has been an ageless motto for all kinds of businesses and industries. What is new is that more and more organizations are taking a digital approach and the maximum investments are happening in adopting digital transformation. There has been significant thrust among companies that are ready to spend in creating virtualized infrastructures, server-less architectures and rely heavily on open source software. All this is happening alongside the growth of IoT or Internet of Things. The craze for virtualization has given cybercriminals new opportunities as the number of vulnerabilities and entry points into systems have gone up manifold. Today, the possibilities of business disruptions are at the highest.
Organizations Have Become More Vulnerable
What you have heard till now reflects the concerns expressed by some IT professionals who took part in a recent study. Since the critical assets of organizations are now in the digital domain, the consequences of a security breach, which are highly possible, are much more serious. It is now possible for cybercriminals to detect a weak point for hacking into the system and then create a strategy to access sensitive data by moving laterally across the systems of the organization. The threat of breaking cybersecurity was always there but never before did it acquire such damaging proportions that can even ruin businesses. The pressure on the security teams is now at its peak because it is not possible to predict the effectiveness of security systems in advance.
More Work To Do
There used to be a time when mitigating vulnerabilities in the infrastructure by insulating it from applications, connected technologies and cloud network or applying security patches provided excellent protection. These have now become things of the past. For protecting the entire organization, today it is essential to ensure complete visibility and transparency across the systems that could help to identify any cybersecurity issues within the technology.
It is a Difficult Task But Achievable
The security threats have not only multiplied but have become much more serious in nature. The pressure keeps building on the IT security teams as companies keep marching towards digital technology like never before. Guaranteeing the safety of data within the system by overcoming the challenges of digitization is keeping the security experts on tenterhooks. The security professionals have to know how to keep data safe and protected by making the best use of the limited resources that they have at their disposal so that they stay tuned with the current trends.
The security issues keep bombarding the IT professionals left, right and center, and often they have no clue about how to fix it and therefore prefer to ignore the threat. Sometimes, the scarcity of time of the already overworked security team is the reason for overlooking it.
Balancing Technology and Security
As organizations tend to give too much emphasis to digital transformation the security issues often become blurred. However, with security issues and data breaches hogging the limelight and grabbing daily headlines, it is high time that organizations work towards striking the right balance between security and technology.
The time has come when organizations have to gain full exposure to the threats to security and understand it well in the light of cyber exposure across applications, networks, data stores, cloud infrastructures, and user access privilege. To understand the level of exposure to cyber threats, companies have to undertake penetration tests that provide a holistic view of the impending dangers. The exercise would help to uncover critical issues and highlight any vulnerable assets that could be at risk and endanger business.
Countering Cyber-Criminals Effectively
To match the ever-changing techniques of cyber intruders, organizations should automate the continuous security monitoring systems and solutions that can prove quite beneficial. That would help to keep uninterrupted surveillance on the system and trigger some defensive action immediately on detection of any threat. This method is especially helpful for organizations that depend on half yearly or annual security patch update. Missing out on security update can prove disastrous for organizations as the attackers look upon it as an open invitation to hack the system.
The automated security systems keep testing the network continuously, and organizations should act promptly on the reports that resemble a real-life threat. The better is the understanding of the potential risk of vulnerabilities; the better should be the response to it.
