The number of cyber attacks on businesses is growing. That’s an increase of several hundred percent for certain types of threats that give criminals remote access to a computer. Criminals are getting smarter and are not limiting themselves to standard phishing campaigns.

Companies are being attacked five times more often than a year ago with malware that gives hackers remote access to employees’ computers. It is also sent out in attachments whose name suggests an order confirmation or invoice, which is supposed to increase the chances of opening the infected file.

Criminals gain access to employees’ computers for several purposes:

• they can easily use their mail and impersonate them to spread phishing emails within the company.
• computer access often also means access to confidential data that should not be made public. Cybercriminals can either steal it and sell it on the darknet or block access to it and demand that the company pay a ransom.
• criminals gain access and then, without revealing themselves, observe activities, collect data and pass it on to people who can use it for political purposes.

There are an increasing number of attacks by which cybercriminals give themselves additional privileges on the system. In May of this year, they exploited a security vulnerability in Windows twice as often as in the same period of 2023 to do so. Gaining broader access allowed hackers to do significant damage and learn more data.

Attacks aimed at spying on employees are also on the rise. How?

Hackers monitor which keys are pressed on company keyboards. Cybercrimes involving cryptojacking have also increased. Hackers infect victims’ hardware with malware that runs in the background. Such attacks significantly increase operating costs for companies, reduce the performance of systems and pose a potential threat to data security. The consequences of cryptojacking can be slowed down devices, increased power consumption and even shortened equipment life.

The most important rules are regularly updating systems and equipping yourself with reputable antivirus protection. Employee education remains key – humans are usually the weakest link in even the best-protected company. Regular talks, training and exercises on cyber security, as well as making employees aware of the scale of threats and their potential consequences can save organizations from losses.

You may need a company security audit. Learn more about why: info@wearenavirisk.com