There has been an increase in cyber-attacks on high profile companies recently – JP Morgan Chase, Target and Home Depot as well as breaches in online services such as iCloud, Dropbox and Snapchat.
A cyber-attack is defined as – any type of offensive action employed by individuals or whole organizations, that targets computer information systems.
With each new attack it’s increasingly clear, no company is immune to cyber-attacks and preparation is key to mitigating risk. This preparation must start with a commitment at the very top of the company. With a top-down approach and directors who are actively engaged, companies stand a greater chance of protecting their shareholders’ interests in cyberspace.
The companies that are most often targeted are financial institutions, healthcare organisations, major retailers and online/cloud storage services.
The most recent attacks, used methods that are:
- Sophisticated – exploiting weak points, using backdoor controls and advanced malware.
- Social – targeting specific people with social engineering and stealing and using valid credentials.
- Stealthy – implemented in a series of low profile moves that are undetectable to standard security or hidden among thousands of logs collected daily.
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