Top 7 Cyber Security Issues in 2019

Cyber security has always been an issue and hurdle in the path of internet security. With an increase in technology, cyber threats have also increased. Many multinational and local IT services companies are searching for more secure and efficient security methods that can help them to create a more secure network and keep their transactions safe. There are many methods that have been implemented to deal with this security concern. But after some time, hackers find a method to intrude and hack the system.
There are certain serious cyber threats that you need to be aware of in 2019. Security has been a major issue in 2019. According to a cyber-security report by Cisco, 31 % of the companies have faced security threats in their operations. This causes a lot of loss for the company. The losses include loss in reputation, compromised security systems, loss of capital, loss of customers, etc. Hence, you need to be aware of different cyber threats.

Cyber Security Issues in 2019

Here are some of the serious security threats that every IT Services Company needs to be prepared for:

1. Malware Attacks – Cyber security issues consist of malware attacks. Malware attacks are of different types, it can be caused due to the use of compromised devices, intruders, poor security mechanism, etc. Such attacks can cause serious trouble. A lot of data can be corrupted if the malware attack takes place.

In a malware attack, malicious code or software is installed on other user’s devices. This malware can be of different types like worms, viruses, Trojan horses, zombies, etc. Some of the malware has the ability to replicate itself, while others require host programming for it. They keep on damaging the files. An IT Services Company should be aware of such malware attacks and security measures should be taken to prevent it.

2. Data Breach – Data breach means to access a piece of information which they are not authorized to. Data breaches can either be intentional or unintentional. The sensitive and highly confidential data is leaked in such data breaches. Once, the data is leaked, the damages caused are adverse. The hackers try to bypass the security mechanism and try to access the data of an IT Services Company or an individual.

Unauthorized users when access to the data can use it for different reasons, it can either be because of revenge or money, etc. It depends on the hackers. An ethical hacker is a field that helps a company to make its security mechanism more secure. They are also called white hat hackers. They try to breach the security and regularly work for improving it. This can be one of the steps to prevent data breaches.

3. Hackers and Intruders – These are the persons who are solely responsible for cyber-attacks. They try to hack the systems and access the information illegally. Hackers are experts in programming, hence, they can with little or no efforts they can access and bypass security systems. Other than hackers, an organization must also be aware of their internal employees.

Sometimes, the internal employees are the ones that leak the information or give access to hackers. Hence, it is important to be alert from both the hackers and the internal intruders. The internal employees should be given access according to their job. Critical access should be given only to trusted employees. In this manner, IT Services Company should be aware of hackers and intruders and must also hire an ethical hackers to ensure high-end security.

4. Phishing attacks – In this attack, the intruders present himself or herself as a trusted entity. After you give your credentials thinking that you have given it to an authenticated website, these intruders use your personal information to access your account or devices. Once, they have access to this, they can use your information. These days, hackers also use machine learning algorithms to generate fake messages quickly and send them to multiple users. Usually, this type of attack is done to gain financial information like credit card numbers, pins, debit card details, etc.

For example, suppose you use the Axis bank. The hackers can send you a message along with a link making it as convincing as possible. The moment you think it is authentic message and clicks the link. A fake website similar to your bank’s original website will appear. Then, you will login to access your account. The moment you entered your login details, the intruders can use that information and withdraw money from your bank account.

5. Cloud abuse – Cloud has security issues due to which it is prone to abuse. There are different reasons that make cloud insecure. The first and foremost is that you share your critical data with a third party. Also, in IaaS (Infrastructure as a Service), a registration process should be made.

There is no registration process or a mechanism that can monitor financial or baking transactions. There could a number of intruders on the cloud. Therefore, if you are using cloud services for your IT Services Company, then tell your cloud service providers to monitor network traffic. If they did it, the security threats can be reduced and the cloud can be made more secure.

6. Insecure User Interface – Here we are talking about the user interface in the cloud. The user interface is the graphical components that you see online. These graphical components communicate with one another according to the command provided to them. As cloud services are provided by the cloud service provider, similarly, the security of the user interface also depends on the service provider. When you use a cloud service, you use the infrastructure only. The interface and functionality are provided by the service provider. Hence, it is their responsibility to provide a secure user interface.
If these interfaces are compromised, then it can harm the data. It can cause a number of attacks like a man in the middle, eavesdropping, denial of service (DOS), distributed denial of service (DDOS) attack, worms, etc. All these attacks can leak the data to intruders or make it publicly available. This can harm the reputation of the company. This problem needs to be conveyed to the cloud service provider. Hence, it is better to ask your service provider to offer you more secure system components and interface.

7. Ransomware – Ransomware is generally done to gain money. This money is gained by fooling the users. The users are tricked to believe that the infected website is authentic. This is done with the help of phishing. Phishing is explained earlier in this article. Once, the users believe that the infected website is authentic, they enter their credentials. After the intruders get the credentials, they use it for malicious and evil intentions.

In ransomware, the hacker denies the access of the user to their data until the money is not paid to them. Once, the money is paid to the hacker, they will let you access your data. This happens with huge multinational companies, the hackers hack their websites or data and threaten them to pay money. If they deny paying, then the hackers will share the data publically. The hackers demand lakhs and millions of money from the companies.

These are some of the most dangerous attacks that the companies and individuals need to be aware of in the year 2019. With an increase in technology, security has also become an issue. This is because hackers also use modern methods to attack and access unauthorized data. Hence, it is important, you make a relevant and rigid secure system that can prevent any such attack in the future.