Cyber-attacks have become increasingly common across industries, throughout the world. If you do a quick Google search, you will be able to identify the latest high-profile victims of cyber-attacks. But it’s not just global corporate giants that fall victim to cyber-attacks. A study from Hiscox showed that half of all small businesses suffered a cyber-attack in 2018.
As businesses of all sizes continue to operate remotely or using a hybrid model, there is an increased chance of your business falling victim to a cyber-attack. These type of breaches can lead to data being stolen or encrypted, funds being misappropriated and disabled computers leaving employees unable to work.
These attacks have grown significantly sophisticated and can initially go undetected by businesses. A study conducted by RiskBased identified that in the first half of 2020, over 36 billion records were exposed by data breaches. You need to understand the early warning signs so you can implement solutions to ensure you limit the damage caused.
Here are some of the signs that could mean your company has fallen victim to a cyber-attack:
Suspicious Emails
If your emails have just been compromised, hackers may contact your clients, suppliers or your internal team seeking confidential information. In some instances, clients may contact your business to notify you that they have been receiving unusual emails from a company address.
Similarly, an email may be sent between employee emails requesting payments be made to third parties. Hackers can monitor emails sent through internal accounts and identify those who are responsible for making payments. These ‘man in the middle’ attacks facilitate information being gathered through external intelligence.
What to do next:
Do not provide details for any unauthorised payments. Contact your secure IT provider for further assistance.
Unusual Account Activities
Before, during or following a cyber-attack, issues with account users may arise. These may be identified through accounts being locked frequently, indicating that hackers are trying to brute force a login. Unusual admin account activities such as log-ins at odd hours could signify that the system has been infiltrated. Network event logs itemise activity on servers and desktops – examining these will indicate odd activity.
What to do next:
If you begin to notice these issues arising within your business make note of the times and contact your IT service provider who will be able to identify the cause and ensure your data remains protected in future.
Slow Speeds
A slow network or internet connectivity may indicate that data is being copied to an external location. This coupled with anti-virus warnings on staff desktops, laptops and company servers may suggest that your business is experiencing a cyber-attack.
What to do next:
Contact your IT provider for further assistance.
These are just some examples of what can occur during the early stages of a cyber-attack. For more on how to identify, mitigate and manage these risks, contact Radius today email sales@radius.ie or contact us here
