Given how integral the cloud is to the modern business world, cloud security and business security are virtually one and the same. The question is: do you know how to stay secure?

The cloud is more popular than ever these days – but unfortunately, with popularity comes risk. The more widely used technology is, the more that cybercriminals will try to find a way to hack it, and turn it against the users.

Case in point – according to the Cloud Security Firm RedLock and its Cloud Security Trends report, more than 50% of businesses that use cloud services like Amazon Simple Storage Service (S3) has unintentionally exposed at least one of these services to the public.

This growing trend of unsecured cloud configurations is due to businesses neglecting known vulnerabilities in the cloud, or failing to properly assess their cloud environment to discover unseen security risks.

RedLock researchers found that:

• 38% of organizations have had administrative user account compromised
• More than 80% of businesses fail to mitigate cloud vulnerabilities
• 37% of databases accept inbound connection requests from the Internet, seven percent of which receive requests from untrustworthy IP addresses

This is just one of the many ongoing developments in the cybersecurity world that show why it’s so important to work with the right IT security company. The fact is, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

What Are 3 Top Cybercrime Tactics To Be Aware Of?

Cybercriminals are smart – they adapt quickly and continually to come up with new ways to take advantage of businesses like yours.

1. Phishing
   A popular cybercrime tactic among hackers today is “phishing” – and it’s businesses like yours that need the cybersecurity support to protect against it.

   Phishing is a method in which the scammers send fraudulent emails that appear to be from reputable sources in order to get recipients to reveal sensitive information and execute significant financial transfers.

2. Baiting
   Then there’s baiting, in which the target is given something in exchange for their private information. The bait could be a music or movie download online, or it could even be a physical USB key that’s labeled something enticing, like, “Annual Employee Performance Reviews” and left somewhere public to be found.

   Once the drive is connected to a target device, the hidden virus stored on it will start doing damage. Similarly, the Quid Pro Quo method works by exchanging free services for private information, as opposed to goods.

3. Tailgating
   Tailgating is less technical, but just as dangerous, which is why cybersecurity knowledge is so vital. This occurs when an unauthorized person gets into a restricted area of a business by lying to an employee.

   Often, the scammer will make something up, like that they left their ID badge at home, and rely on the target’s good nature to overlook security protocols and let them in.

Each employee should be thoroughly educated on the ways to spot and prevent a social engineering attack, and that education needs to be ongoing. Allowing yourself or your staff to get complacent puts your business at serious risk.

How Can You Better Secure Your Cloud and Business?

In addition to equipping your business with assistance and support from the ECW Computers team, you should also:

• Never give out private information: A basic rule in cybersecurity is knowing not to share sensitive info online. The trusted institutions with which you do business will not ask you for your private information. They already have your account numbers, social security number, and your passwords. They won’t have any good reason to ask for it again, right? If an email from a superior or external contact asks for that info, it is likely a scam, so be sure to confirm the request by phone or in person.
• Implement standard protocols for requests: Have steps put in place for management to follow when asking for information or access from employees. If your employees have a clear idea of how these interactions should look, they’re less likely to be fooled by a hacker posing as their supervisor
• Always verify unexpected email attachments. A key aspect of cybersecurity awareness is understanding that, if you get an email from someone you know with an attachment that you weren’t expecting, you should confirm it with the sender.

  Give them a call or send them an email to ensure that the attachment is from them and is legitimate before you open it.

Will You Wait Until It’s Too Late To Get Help?

Waiting for another major cyberattack to start making the rounds is not the time to start looking at providing cybersecurity training for your staff- at that point, it’ll be too late. Making cybersecurity education a routine for your entire team – management included – is the most effective way to ensure your team can spot and stop a phishing attempt.

Allow ECW Computers to help – our team has been helping businesses like yours for years, and we will do the same for you.

Like this article? Check out Inside The United States Of Cybersecurity, FBI Warns Businesses Of Cyber Attack From China, or Here’s How Cybercriminals Con Businesses In 2019 to learn more.