Major IT security threats to watch out for: Our top three

The number of major IT security threats, both intentional and accidental, which your IT systems are facing is immense.

There is a vast number of ways for businesses to lose sensitive data, but the right preventative measures and protection can keep it all safe.

To give you an idea of what IT systems have to deal with, according to Get Cyber Safe 156m phishing emails are sent every single day – and this is just one of the major IT security threats we’ll be covering in this blog.

Here are three of major IT security threats which businesses should watch out for:

1. Financial data theft

There is a wide range of dangerous malware and bots which can easily steal business’ financial data if it is not sufficiently protected.

Last year there were nearly 23m attacks involving financial malware, according to a Kaspersky Lab report.

Unfortunately the signs are that the number of financially-motivated attacks orchestrated by cyber criminals will only increase.

The right combination of antivirus software, security tools, backup systems and encryption products are needed to keep a company’s financial data safe.

2. Vulnerable software

Cyber criminals routinely target vulnerabilities in software to steal sensitive data.

More than 7,000 new security vulnerabilities were added to the National Vulnerability Database in 2014 – that’s 19 new vulnerabilities for each day of the year.

This means there has been a year-on-year increase in vulnerabilities since 2012 – essentially an annual increase in major IT security threats.

Nearly a quarter of these vulnerabilities were rated as ‘high severity’ threats and unfortunately, the applications reporting the highest number of vulnerabilities are some of the most used in the workplace – namely Internet Explorer and Google Chrome.

Protecting a business from virus attacks and data loss requires the right tools to keep vulnerable software up to date with the most recent security patches.

3. Spear phishing attacks

Another major IT security threat is phishing.

Many people think of phishing as a threat to individuals’ private information, rather than companies’ data. However spear phishing is a more sophisticated version of cyber crime mainly used to target businesses.

Unlike regular phishing attacks, which usually consist of impersonal mass-produced fake emails, spear phishing attacks start by collecting personal and professional information about an individual before the first email is sent.

This ensures the email is tailored more specifically towards that individual, increasing the chance that he or she will be taken in by the scam.

Employees who fall for a spear phishing campaign put their company’s data at risk, so the right IT strategy must be in place to prevent staff from receiving or opening the wrong emails.

Major IT security threats – a summary

These are just three possible threats that your business may face. There are many more that we haven’t mentioned.

It’s crucial that you take action to protect your business as extensively as possible.

If you would like to find out more about the wide range of major IT security threats which businesses face, please let us know and we’ll be happy to offer some advice or explain how our IT support packages can help to defend your firm.