Every year businesses make huge losses of billions resulting from cyberattacks. If you want to evade this risk, you need to consider IT security. Think about the horrifying situation that the Equifax executives were in when they woke up to the news of an IT security failure. The 143 million clients had their data compromised. There were congregations, careers ruined, and fines levied because US three credit bureaus failed to give a security path in the application.

The FBI internet crime report shows that businesses worldwide experience losses of $4.2 billion because of IT insecurities. The figures are increasing based on the trend in the last few years. You will destroy the business if you fail to protect your client’s data or your trade secrets. It’s the reason IT security is the top priority for any company to be safe, regardless of its size.

What’s IT security?

Computer systems and network protection protect against data exposure, damage, or threat caused by black hat hackers or nefarious agents. These nefarious agents use techniques and tools brute force hacking or malware that bypass security systems stealing essential data from companies and their clients. IT security is a vast field targeting to fight against these threats.

Important IT security threats

Hackers use any means to break into systems. Each of the pathways to protect data represents a potential vulnerability. Because of this, specialists focus on diverse IT security branches. The top four are internet security, application security, security tailored to the internet of things (IoT), and cloud security.

• Internet security

Involves protecting data transmitted via browsers and web-based apps. The network protection measures are apps that spot unusual traffic and malware. It’s the use of anti-malware or anti-spyware software and firewalls.

• Cloud security

A great deal of data lives in clouds in this century. It leaves vital data and entire platforms exposed to nefarious agents. Cloud security is essential to SaaS providers that depend on open access to platforms in their business models. Tools that help in protecting cloud security include:

• SIGs (secure internet gateways)
• CASBs (cloud access security brokers)
• UTM (unified threat management) systems

• Application security

Involves developing secure software while evaluating and protecting codes against threats during the development process.

• Internet of Things (IoT) security

IoT is an integral part of how we do business and navigate our daily lives from biometric and smart factory security scanners. When systems become vulnerable to IT threats, hackers wreak more havoc that costs organizations billions. IoT security involves creating the security hardware and operating systems using the same endpoint security that experts use to keep tablets, smartphones, and other devices secure and safe.

What’s the importance of IT security to a business?

Robust information technology security is vital in any business, whether a multinational firm or a tiny SaaS startup. Despite the type of business you do, you need to safely handle confidential and sensitive client data. You need to keep your business secrets because of the following reasons:

• Confidentiality requirements

It’s your legal and ethical responsibility to keep your client’s data safe. The data varies from credit card information to the activities clients do on your platform. It’s not only data storage protection but data security via state-of-the-art encryption techniques.

• Information integrity

Nefarious agents don’t only target to steal data. Some try to manipulate the data for various reasons. If you can trust your data, then your website security will thrive. IT security seeks to keep information integrity to have confidence in the systems you rely on.

• Keeping information available

The data breaches wreak havoc on systems. Hackers can be on a mission to manipulate data, hold it hostage, or steal it. Some hackers target inciting chaos within the platform. Instead of stealing the data, they aim to sabotage your business. The risk is that if you can’t access the correct information at any given time, your organization will collapse. A perfect IT security will guard against activities that separate authorized personnel in the organization.

• Protection against the DoS attacks

DoS (denial of service) is a broad term that describes different attacks hackers use to disrupt businesses and make them unable to serve clients well. The common dirty DoS trick is the buffer overflow attack that involves sending a massive influx of traffic to the server different from what engineers anticipated. The vast influx of traffic exceeds what the platform can hold or handle. The IT security will protect against this attack by spotting unusual traffic and inhibiting it before it overwhelms the system harming the business.

• Financial and business implications of the IT security breaches

Never joke with security breaches since the effect can be very severe. It ranges from legal consequences to lost profits. If you recall, Boeing, Facebook, Equifax, and Yahoo have all suffered IT security breaches. The consequences were very severe.

Businesses that need IT security

All businesses handling sensitive information should invest in IT security. There are specific companies that are ethically and legally bound to up their game in IT security. They include:

• Healthcare firms
• Warehousing operations
• Credit unions and banks
• Educational institutions
• Ecommerce companies
• Magazines, independent journalists, and newspapers
• Government institutions
• Any business handling confidential data

Understand your security threats

You need to understand the security threat that you need protection against. Here are the security threats that you will need to protect against.

1. Malware

Any malicious software interferes with your network, platform, system, or server. The threat can siphon all private data, access inner system workings, and carry out unsavory functions. The malware can enter your system via human error after the employees click on links they shouldn’t. The link comes in the form of a mail to siphon the data.

2. Adware 

It’s a malware type that finds its way into the system and generates adverts that will appear on your browser when users access the internet.

3. The ransomware

It’s a sinister malware type invading systems and blocking access to information unless the victims pay ramsons.

4. Spyware

It’s malware collecting sensitive data of organizations or individual users and delivering the data to hackers who can use the data to do malicious damage.

5. Computer viruses

A computer virus describes a broad category of software used for unlawful purposes. Hackers use the viruses to unleash chaos.

6. Phishing

It’s a technique used to trick users into either clicking on links that download malware or convincing users to provide sensitive data. Phishing is now sophisticated, spoofing correct domains from trusted institutions and banks. This fraudulent activity takes place on e-mail, and the best way to avoid is to use a DMARC report analyzer regularly.

7. DDoS (distributed denial of services) attach

DDoS attacks result from many traffic sources distributed worldwide, making them hard to stop.

8. Botnets

It consists of many distributed gadgets connected to the internet. The bots may engage in DDoS attacks and other hacker activities like data theft.

9. APTs (advanced persistent threats)

They are the hacking attempts that gain access to a platform or network and remain undetected long. In most instances, they are state-sponsored security threats, like when the Russian government hacked the US in the 2016 campaign for presidential candidate.

How do you boost IT security?

A good step is to hire an IT security expert staff or work with a professional IT security company. The business model in the form of security as a service companies offer ongoing IT security support to companies that need it.

For more information connect with IT security consulting company!

Also read: cloud security challenges and solutions | GDPR Compliance Checklist for Software