“If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat,” Sun Tzu (Author of the Art of War).

In every sporting event, battle, or negotiation it is always advised to know your adversary. This is the only good way to make sure that you are prepared.

If you know how they think, and what they might do then you are better able to create a defense and prepare for whatever may come your way.

This is especially true when it comes to protecting a business from a hacking attempt. If you understand what and how hackers think and attack then you will be better able to create a secure workplace.

So, what are hackers most concerned with, and how do we protect ourselves from a future breach?

Go for Low Hanging Fruit

Many people imagine hackers choosing a target and writing code to take them down. However, that is rarely how it works in reality.

Most of the time hackers are going the path of least resistance. Nobody wants to spend weeks on a single attack that will yield the same result as an easy phishing attempt might.

Hackers will always attack you where you are vulnerable. This is usually not in your IT department, but somewhere else in the office that they know they can get into.

Most breaches being with a phishing attempt. This can be done with a fake email, pop-up, notification that you enter information into, or many others. Phishing attempts are often done with clever social engineering mixed with a little technical know-how to trick people into giving away important information

These kinds of attacks are harder to spot than you may realize. Upwards of 90% of breaches begin with a phishing attempt, not a complex attack.

Disparity in Technology

Businesses are not looking to spend more than they have to on IT. This makes sense when you think about how much expense it takes to keep a business running. Between salaries, infrastructure costs, all the equipment and more, it is easy to see why a business might not want to spend thousands on IT.

However, there is a huge black market for hackers. Malware and ransomware software is readily available, and easy to obtain. Attackers do not have any other real costs as long as their computers are up for the attack.

So hackers know that they will often have the better technology and the tools than the businesses they are attacking. This is obviously a recipe for disaster.

However, this can be very difficult to overcome. Businesses have to deal with all of the restraints that come with an organization. IT is also often undervalued because when it is working right it does not seem like anything is happening at all. This makes owners want to spend less, which only makes you more susceptible.

What Can be Done?

The best place to start when fending off attackers is on the human side. Teaching everyone on staff about common phishing practices can help get everyone ready for what they may encounter online.

You may be surprised that you have already navigated some common social engineering, or have even already given your information away. Trainings like these can be invaluable for long-term success.

Another great way to go is to work with a great managed IT team that can help protect you. Managed IT service providers can help you identify potential weaknesses in your network and keep you updated on new and growing trends in the security landscape.

Give us a call to learn more about how we can help you secure your business and ward off attackers today!