Over the past several years, cyber criminals have only become more and more sophisticated. Even the best web browsers have issues differentiating between sites that are safe and ones that contain malware or viruses. Phishing attacks happen to even the best IT professionals weekly, and go beyond just email threats. 

In the last several years, cyber attack rates have sky-rocketed on laptop and desktop computers. Despite increased awareness and education about cyber security threats and various types of viruses out there, cyber criminals have adapted and rolled with the punches to create even more sophisticated ways to get your information. 

Types of Cyber Attacks

Cyber attacks have become especially widespread due to the rise of social media. Facebook, Twitter, and other similar websites are magnets for cyber attacks, and often leave users very susceptible. 

Social media websites are built to engage with users and create community and connections with others also using and making accounts, which makes it very easy to set up fake profiles, bots, or just infiltrate and hack others.

It takes a lot of effort to safeguard your data and guard your software from cyberattacks. No matter how sophisticated or guarded you think your computers are, hackers are always staying one step ahead. 

Though a lot of phishing and malware scams are targeted through emails, many have also spread to messages on LinkedIn and other more trusted websites. Streaming services like VEVO are also particularly susceptible to attacks and data breaches, which then leak users’ valuable data to cyber criminals. 

Professional Cyber Attack Implications

For businesses, cyber attacks can be particularly harmful, and the consequences can last for a very extended period. Cyber attacks or phishing scams can lead to not only losses in employee productivity, customer data, and proper online function, but can also lead to the loss of customers in general. 

The wide implications of cyber attacks really lie in the loss of customer trust. If your business has a security breach, the trust your customers have in your ability to keep their information safe is gone, and makes them less likely to trust you with their purchases and information in the future. It can also harm your reputation with new customers, who are dissuaded from shopping or doing business with you due to past data security problems. 

How to Guard Your Business from Cyber Threats

If you’re not an IT expert, it can be really hard to even begin to figure out how to properly guard your business from cyber attacks, and how to properly secure your customers’ data – especially in the event of data loss or a cyber threat. 

Make sure your employees know to only limit their online interactions to their fellow employees or to people they trust – never any outside source that contacts them or that doesn’t have a dependable presence. Additionally, make sure they don’t follow links, download images or files,  or open emails from unverified or unknown sources. 
In addition to these prevention techniques, it’s important to have a cyber security team on your side to keep your business secure and your customers’ data safe. Looking for the best support and security against cyber threats? Look no further than GoodSuite’s cybersecurity services.