In 2020s, every company relies on information technology somehow, from daily email communication, video conferencing, digital marketing to data system. People work from home under COVID-19 pandemic, and it will be a disaster if there is any information security issue. In the second half of 2020, BizMagnet TVP consultant summarizes 5 information security threats that you should notice most in 2021. Pay attention on these network information security issues to avoid risk of total business destruction. You may also consider to upgrade information security system with TVP application.
Phishing
Phising means obtaining other’s sensitive information, such as password, credit card info etc by disguising as a trustworthy individual or organization (e.g. bank, government or charity etc) through electronic communication. Common practices are fraudulent emails, WhatsApp messages, fake websites etc. The only purpose is to obtain sensitive information for further illegal use. Besides verifying, some advanced email system will distinguish fraud spam with artificial intelligence. Today, websites serve with encrypted certificate (SSL), for example, you enter BizMagnet website and you can see a locked pad at the front of the browser address bar. This means the website is under encryption with a trustworthy organization. To stay safe against phishing, we (including company staff) must remember to not tell sensitive information easily.
Ransomware
The most common attacking method of ransomware is to encode important documents, information and even the entire system by vulnerability. The criminal then demands for ransom or you cannot retrieve the important documents. The business may suffer from interruption or permanently lose important data. To escape from law enforcement, the criminals usually ask for cryptocurrency as ransom, and investigation is therefore very difficult. As randsomware attacks system vulnerability, constant software update or enabling auto-update is the basic action to prevent ransomware. Frequent backup or use of backup utility is also very important, you can recover fast even encounter locking. Moreover, installing firewall and anti-virus software can also strengthen system security.
Cloud hijacking
As cloud computing system getting more and more common, hackers change their targets from personal computers and small networks to cloud system. Mainstream cloud service such as Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Google Cloud Platform (GCP) reinforces world-class security, but the issues are often about the users. For instance, careless password processing, no clear authorization policy, internal attack or incident, these are all chances for hacker to work. There are huge computing resource on the cloud system for hacker to abuse. They may mine cryptocurrency with your cloud resource. It seems nothing for the company to lose, but the company has to pay for all computation and services may be postponed.
Internet of Things
As 5th generation of mobile communication (5G) is available, Internet of Things (IoT) application is the next important topic in Industry 4.0. IoT allows different objects or devices (e.g. electrical appliance, manufacturing equipment, monitoring tools etc) connect to change manufacturing, logistic and business operation completely, therefore IoT is a good target for hackers. Compared to computer security, the circumstances for IoT is much more complex. It involves wireless network, cloud system and physical environment, thus many IoT equipment suppliers have to work with information security experts; as an IoT user, companies will also hire security experts to inspect the IoT system and plan reliable security policy.
Password
An old problem is still a problem. Many people demand the software to reach international security standard, but ignore the fundamental source: human. No matter how powerful the encryption is, it is useless if you set a too simple password, one password for everywhere, or even write the password on paper. It is just like putting a strong vault and the key together. There is number of measures to protect the password and the system effectively. For example, compulsory password strength, password management system, multi-factor authentication, VPN restricted access etc.
2019 and 2020 are challenging years for most. Business owners are busy to fight for survival or expand, and often ignore information and network security. Just like insurance, we regret not to prepare before things happen. Neglecting information security can cost a lot, and the good news is: Hong Kong companies can enhance IT security with TVP subsidy now. BizMagnet TVP consultant always believe that a good business is about risk management. Are you ready? Welcome to contact BizMagnet government fund consultancy for TVP application.