While everyone prepares for the frights of Halloween, there’s a real evil lurking just out of sight—an imminent threat that grows stronger each passing day. And no amount of burning sage, sprinkling salt, or carrying garlic will ward off this threat. Gather around folks, for in October, not only do we celebrate Halloween, but also National Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
Cyberthreats target individuals and businesses, not only during the Halloween season, but all year round—even worse, the number of these threats only continue to grow. Since knowledge is power, it’d bode well to acquaint yourself with the spookiest threats of this or any season. We’ve ranked the top five cyber-monsters you need to watch out for this Halloween along with ways you can combat them.
5. Beware of phishing demons in disguise. Ranked fifth on our spook list, phishing attacks wreak havoc by taking the guise of familiar entities. Don’t underestimate the power of their deception—phishing attacks are one of the greatest threats to system integrity.
Avoid falling into this trap by double-checking the authenticity of email communications and by enforcing strict security policies for your web browsers.
4. Denial-of-service (DoS) spirits are out for bandwidth.
Don’t let denial-of-service attacks cripple your systems.
Mitigate this threat by deploying sentries to monitor all activities and provide real-time notifications upon detection of a DoS attack.
3. Protect your critical data from spectral ransomware. Organizations of any size can fall victim to ransomware attacks that lock down systems to extort huge sums of money.
Strengthen your defenses against these attacks by constantly monitoring all network security devices and enabling alerts and analytics for any unprecedented security events.
2. Watch out for the dreaded password cracking ogre. These attackers are a determined set of criminals intent on entering your systems through password attacks of all kinds, causing mischief and stealing data.
When it comes to passwords, choosing a simple one could spell doom for your network. Enforcing multi-factor authentication and applying strict password policies helps keep these malicious agents out.
1. Arm yourself against malware attacks, the behemoth of all things evil. From viruses and spyware to bots and trojan horses, this giant takes a number of different forms to bypass access controls, compromise data, and inflict unspeakable horrors upon their hosts. Malware knows no bounds—if there’s any threat that can single handedly bring even the biggest business to its knees, it’s this.
A patch a day keeps these monsters away. Make sure to regularly patch and update all your devices to ensure optimum security and always keep an eye on your network and its perimeter.
There you have it—the most spine-chilling threats and how to steer clear of them. So, this Halloween, stay secure and don’t forget to check for monsters inside your network!
If you wish to learn more about how to build a cybersecurity strategy to battle all these fiends, sign up for our webinar here.
