Many of us conduct our business online these days – in some cases, quite literally. Whether we just do online shopping, or we work and collaborate with colleagues using a cloud-based system: it is become an essential part of our lives.

However, we all need to be aware of any potential security matters when we use online services. This is important for anyone as either a customer, employee, or business owner. These are some of the cybersecurity issues you should be aware of so you – and your data – are protected.

Business email compromise scams are progressing

These BEC scams have wreaked havoc on companies around the globe since they emerged in the mid-2010s. Assailants of such attacks use publicly-available email addresses of executive financial staff to transact fraudulent wire transfers on behalf of the brand – and these amounts usually can’t be recovered.

The threat of this fraud is so significant that INTERPOL has issued guidelines on managing these risks. This includes using cybersecurity best practices, plus using firewalls, spam filters, and antivirus software. It also warns against clicking on links and attachments in emails you may get from unknown users.

Do not forget about phishing scams, though

These have been around since the early day of the internet and are still evolving at a great rate. These types of attacks have endured over the years because of their versatility: those who use this type of cyber-attack can refine and adapt how they operate, so it is difficult to predict these attacks and to prevent them. If you are a business, then you should always be aware of phishing scams – as well as protect yourself with up-to-date IT security software, which you can get from brands such as fraudwatchinternational.com.

Beware of ransomware and malware

Ransomware is one of the top cybersecurity threats to businesses. It is a type of malware (malicious software) that can infect devices and computers on a vulnerable network. If this happens and your computer is compromised, your files will be encrypted, and you will not be able to access them until you get a decryption key by paying a ransom to your attackers. Paying it – which can be as much as $4,000 in some cases and is often in cryptocurrencies – may not always mean your payment is honored.

The effect on a business may not be the ransom itself, but the disruption it can cause to your organization. You could, potentially, have all your operations stopped indefinitely if you are locked out of your work files if you are attacked in this way.

Think about data breaches

This is when cyber criminals want to steal your organization’s data by getting access to your databases. The personal and financial information that they then get can be sold on the black market to be used in fraud and identity theft. Prime targets for these types of attacks include websites and apps that gather customer information – including those that deal with online support, ecommerce, or customer relationship management (CRM).