Recently, cyber security has become an increasing concern to small businesses. In the past, most people would have thought that only big corporations would be a target of hackers and any type of online crimes. However, with the increase in remote work, most small businesses have been left vulnerable to cybercriminals.
The number of cyber-attacks online has increased, and small business owners need to learn cyber security online. Today, attacks are becoming more varied, making it harder for businesses to stay ahead of the curve with their cyber security strategy. Here are the cyber security trends to expect in 2022 and beyond in regards to cyber security and small businesses:
Phishing will still be a dominant threat
Phishing is a common problem for most organizations. Studies have shown that around 43% of most cyberattacks start with phishing. Analysts predict that it will remain dominant in 2022 and beyond. Cybercriminals are changing their techniques. They no longer send emails to a group of people but carry out targeted attacks on specific individuals making it very difficult to detect.
Small businesses must boost their email and endpoint security and provide all their employees with practical cyber security training to help address the problem.
Ransomware attacks will evolve
Ransomware attacks have become more common, especially with high-profile incidents. In 2022 analysts expect ransomware attacks to become more targeted and aimed at different sectors of the economy, including oil, gas, and healthcare organizations.
Cybercriminals target massive institutions that cannot afford any disruptions, and they would rather pay the ransom. They use data exfiltration and other techniques to get large payoffs from their targets. Small and medium businesses are also at risk of ransomware generated by a ransomware-as-a-service product that is subscription-based exploits.
Small businesses have to monitor, manage and secure their IT assets
The shift in working models means that more endpoints are used outside the secure perimeter. Organizations are still expanding on their internet of things initiatives, which means deploying a wide range of sensors and other devices to automate the business process and monitor its operations. The vast IT footprint means that the hackers have a large surface to set their attack. Therefore, all organizations need to improve how they monitor and manage data by securing all their devices.
Increase supply chain attack with the quadruple extortion model
Most attackers have been using the double extortion model. This model works by encrypting the victim’s data and threatening to expose their personal information. In quadruple attacks, on the other hand, criminals exploit the vulnerability of a company’s security to gain access to the networks and data of their business partners.
This is a dangerous method, especially if the information can cause massive problems such as wars. Cybercriminals who carry out supply chain attacks can attack hundreds of organizations.
Cybersecurity should be vital for all small businesses. Criminals keep getting innovative with ways of attacking organizations, and you should always be prepared in case it happens.
