Okay, this is not some sales pitch or a target for Q1. No, in this case, business targets are those that are often dealing with cybersecurity threats. Threats such as: password guessing, phishing, vishing, smishing, social engineering, impersonation, scams, and other types of trickery. So, who are the business targets?
The reality is that every business is a business target. However, some find themselves in the crosshairs more often than others. Here are a few factors that may attribute to increased cyber risk:
- Business size
- Geographical location
- Number of contracted employees
- Clientele served
- Vendors and technology used by the organization
- Security stance
- If the company has suffered a breach or security incident in the past
Obviously, a lot of factors can contribute to an increased risk of a business being targeted by bad actors (criminals). The goal is to know your business risk level and then react appropriately with the use of cyber defensive tools and programs. These may include:
- Enterprise firewalls
- Advanced security tools, EDR or XDR
- SIEMs
- Security awareness training
- Email spam filtering and impersonation protection
- Zero trust
- Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
- 3-2-1 backups and regular backup testing
- Physical safeguards (cameras, logging lock systems, sensors, and safes)
- Penetration testing
There is no one size fits all, but the higher business risk you face, the more safeguards an organization should put in place. Don’t be a business target for cyber criminals in 2024 and don’t wait until it’s too late; start upgrading your cyber infrastructure immediately.