How Hackers Easily Target Businesses
You might be thinking, how do hackers decide on which businesses to target? What if your business is on their list?
In this article we go through what makes a business easy to hack and the techniques hackers use to compromise businesses.
OVER £2 BILLION LOST TO CYBER CRIMES AND FRAUD
In the past year, the UK has seen over £2 Billion lost by businesses to cyber crimes and fraud.
A £49,676 average reported loss per incident for organisations in the UK.
Although you might be trying to keep business costs to a minimum, neglecting the cyber security side can lead to a much bigger loss.
How do hackers choose their targets?
One thing to remember that not all targeted businesses are large enterprises, in fact, it’s often smaller businesses that get hacked. We explain how and why in our article: why small businesses are at higher risk of cyber attacks.
How easy is it to hack a business
To show you how easy it can be for a hacker to gain access to a device within a business, we have a video from certified ethical hacker, Joe Burns.
Shodan.io is a search engine that lets users search for various types of servers connected to the internet using a variety of filters. In this video, Joe uses the website to search for open ports in any area, he can easily find accessible machines from the web.
Once a hacker has found an open machine, they attempt to brute force the password. A brute force attack is where the hacker tries to discover the password by systematically trying every combination of letters, numbers and symbols possible, until the correct combination has been found.
Other methods hackers use to target businesses
USB Rubber Ducky
A USB Rubber Ducky is a device that looks like a regular USB drive, however types like a keyboard.
Once this device has been plugged into a laptop/computer, it types in whatever instructions the hacker has given it e.g. a script to locate all saved passwords within a browser.
If the victim is clueless about this device, their passwords and credentials can all be located in a matter of seconds, and sent to the hacker’s off-site server.
Stories From a Hacker
Take a look at the time someone found a Rubber Ducky Device. Joe Burns tracked them down using the information that the USB drive had stolen
Public WiFi
You might have been told before that public WiFi connections are unsecure, but exactly why and what could happen if you were connected to one?
This is a WiFi Pineapple. With this device, a hacker can set up a WiFi network with a sign in portal page, which prompts you to sign in on their phones/tablets/laptops.
However, what you won’t know is that a hacker is waiting for you to sign into this, to then steal any credentials that may be typed in. If you’re is trying to log into a premium WiFi connection e.g. A Premiere Inn hotel WiFi, hackers may even gain credit card details.
Shoulder Surfing
This is probably one of the easiest way for anyone to gain your personal information.
Shoulder Surfing is simply when you may be out in public trying to sign in using credentials and someone is watching over your shoulder, seeing what you type in.
The easiest way to avoid this is by making sure no one is around when inputting important information or to use a privacy screen.
A privacy screen is like a tint which you can place across your laptop or phone screen. Anyone looking at your device from an off-angle will not be able to clearly see your screen.
Public WiFi and Shoulder Surfing
Here we have another video of our certified ethical hacker, Joe Burns, giving a talk about how the WiFi Pineapple works and the dangers of shoulder surfing and not locking your computer whilst you’re away.
Need Affordable IT Security Services for your small business?
If you feel your small business could be at threat from hackers, we can help.
We provide Cyber Security focused IT Support and services to small businesses looking to stay secure.
If you’re interested, contact our team on 01158 244 824 or using the button below.
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