When it comes to cybersecurity, knowledge is your best weapon and your best friend. In other words: Know thine enemy! Unfortunately, there are many enemies. Some are old, and some are new, some have yet to be identified. You cannot be secure until and unless you know what kinds of threats are out there. Who are they? Where might they come from? How will they attack? Where are your vulnerabilities? And perhaps most importantly, how can you protect your network, your systems, and your data?

Old Foes

The “old foes” are the ones we all know about. They are so frequent that they have become household names, such as:

• Ransomware (2005)
• Phishing (1996)
• Malware (1990)

It should be noted that all three of the terms above appear in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. The dates in parentheses represent the first known use of each word. Clearly, these are very old foes.

New Foes

Even as we learn how to protect against and mitigate the impact of our old foes on our business, new ones are emerging, such as:

• RaaS – That stands for Ransomware as a Service! Yes, we listed Ransomware as an old foe, but RaaS is different. It’s a particularly worrying new trend. Providers operate as a business, selling malware to criminals and saving them the time and effort of having to build it themselves.
• SME Attacks – Cybercriminals are incredibly creative and adaptable. The new trend we’re seeing is that these hackers have realized that SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) are easier targets than larger businesses which are more difficult to penetrate. If you’re an SME, watch out!
• Deepfake technology uses AI to create or alter videos to show scenarios that are highly convincing, but that actually never happened. Most SMEs won’t be directly affected by deepfake videos, but they may impact your employees, clients, or partners. So, beware!

Create Awareness to Combat your Vulnerabilities

We can talk about the efficacy of firewalls and antivirus software. We can look at endpoints to spot vulnerabilities. But the most critical way to protect your company from cybercriminals who want to take you hostage or disrupt your business or steal your data for nefarious purposes is to create awareness. Your employees need to understand how important it is not to open emails or click on links from sources they don’t recognize.

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