Page 156 - Cyber Defense eMagazine September 2023

Such intrusions can be fatal to a business of any size, disrupting its operations, jeopardising its vital data
assets, and destroying customer relationships. In fact, the effects can be so severe that, after six months
of a cyberattack, almost 60% of small businesses are unable to recover and cease operations.

Although technology has completely changed the way we conduct business, increased employee mobility
has also brought us new security vulnerabilities.

Top 3 mobile threats

1. Obtain company data

Since they are one-stop shops for massive data dumps, businesses are the top targets for hackers. Data
breaches at both large and small firms give hackers access to millions of user credentials, which they
can then use to their advantage.

Companies pay hackers a lot of money to gain access to rivals' personal information. You might add
things like trade secrets, client information, prices, sales and a lot more. By stealing its ideas and even
clients, all of these can help the firm outperform the victim company.

2. Land and expand.

That is, to move beyond device control to higher value goals like the company network. A mobile device
that has been compromised can be used in several ways to access business networks. The hacker may
also use the device's connection to the corporate Wi-Fi network when the user returns to the workplace
and reconnects by taking control of the device itself.

3. Delivering malware

We are engaged in a cyberwar where hackers are the enemy and malware is the tool, and insecure apps
are the battlefield. Which is why it's crucial to understand the principal methods through which malware
is disseminated.

Phishing emails are by far the most popular way for hackers and state-sponsored hacking groups to
disseminate malware such as ransomware. Hackers have gotten very good at creating emails that fool
recipients into clicking links or downloading files with malicious software. A prime example of this was
the 2018 Atlanta, Georgia, SamSam ransomware assault, which shut down city operations and reportedly
cost the city $2.6 million to recover from.

Cyber Defense eMagazine – September 2023 Edition 156
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