A single leak can sink a ship, and that’s pretty much what can happen with poor cybersecurity. Cybersecurity is critical for Chicago companies as a single security breach can expose sensitive data, costing companies thousands if not millions of dollars.
The bad guys aren’t just after the big fish either.
They’ll try their luck with smaller ones because they know their cyber security defenses are usually weaker, and if they get through your perimeter it can hurt because, as IBM reports, the average cost of a cyber security breach is now $3.86 million!
At Ntiva, we create and manage cyber security solutions for businesses of all sizes in Chicago, Illinois and across the country.
So let’s take a look at what kind of attacks criminals often launch!
Phishing
The spam folders of your Chicago business are probably full of these emails already, and you can spot some of them a mile off. They often claim to be from some foreign prince who needs your bank details to move cash overseas, and they promise to make you rich for your trouble.
Others are far more sophisticated and easy to fall for if you’re tired or stressed because they’re designed to resemble official notices from your clients, your bank, the government, or some official service. Their real job is to steal sensitive information like login details and credit card numbers.
The perpetrators use cheap and easy-to-set-up email automation services, so it’s no wonder phishing makes the most common type of cyberattack. Automated systems to catch them are improving too, but ongoing training is still essential because human error is still the largest cause of breaches.
This is the most common example of “social engineering” attacks, a term for any kind of confidence trick that exploits human weakness to get past security.
Ransomware
Clicking on the wrong email could introduce malware (malicious software) called ransomware that holds your data to ransom. Once it's loose it encrypts all of your business and customer data, making it unreadable until it's unlocked with a digital key that the attackers hold.
You’ll need to pay them an average of $111,605 to get your data back, but they may just destroy it anyway. They’ve even been known to run the same scam twice on a company that didn’t fix their security after the first breach!
DDoS Attacks
These attacks bombard your server, website, or Chicago network with traffic that slows them down or stops them from working entirely. You may have to pay a ransom to prevent this from happening, but again there are no guarantees it will satisfy the bad guys.
So-called hacktivists may do it just to score ideological points, and they can buy these attacks on the dark web (a part of the Internet that's invisible to search engines) so literally, anyone who is willing to pay to watch your business struggle can order one.
That's just a snapshot of a few typical threats. Other terms you might come across include:
The list goes on, and the people who make them are relentless, so let's look at what we can do to help keep your Chicago business services secure.
At Ntiva our Chicago-based team can help to defend your business 24/7 against established and emerging cyber security threats with cost-effective and comprehensive solutions that keep it safe.
Here are 9 important ways we can help you with cyber protection:
1. Cyber Security Risk Assessment
We can work with you to identify what you’ll need to protect first then produce a roadmap showing step-by-step progress towards getting you fully protected.
2. Cloud Backup and Recovery
If you want true disaster recovery and business continuity (and who doesn’t?) you’ll need a successful backup solution. Ntiva’s solution gives you fast full system restores from the Cloud to prevent data loss.
3. Virtual Chief Information Security Officer in Chicago
You can get cyber security expertise on tap to support your Chicago business but without the full-time cost. Use your security expert as and when you need them to gain operational and strategic leadership.
4. Multi-Factor Authentication
Even if a hacker steals a password, they’ll still have to get past the extra roadblock of MFA, which could be a simple one-time verification code sent to a cell phone. It’s one small extra step for users but one giant ‘no entry’ sign for hacker-kind.
5. Intrusion Detection and Response
We can monitor and support your Chicago-based network and systems around the clock with technology that looks for the tell-tale clues of an impending attack and responds to security alerts almost as soon as they happen.
6. Endpoint Detection and Response
This uses powerful AI and a 24/7 Security Operations Center to stop attacks on devices both inside and outside your company firewall.
7. Phishing Prevention Training
One-off cyber security training won't cultivate a cyber security mindset in your employees. It needs to become second nature, so we offer an automated, year-long campaign that gradually gives your employees in Chicago the information they need to identify and prevent such attacks.
8. Vulnerability Scanning and Remediation
Attackers will focus on weak points in your networks, so our cybersecurity solution analyzes, prioritizes, and fixes them before they can be exploited, closing loopholes like insecure settings, missing security updates, and services you no longer need.
9. Remote Work Cybersecurity
Organized criminals in Chicago IL and beyond have been quick to take advantage of the rapid shift to work-from-home (WFH) brought about by COVID-19. WFH company employees may inadvertently add to your risk burden by failing to work securely, so criminals see them as low hanging fruit. We can train staff to work safely and we can protect their data and devices.
At Ntiva, we offer consulting on cybersecurity for your company in Chicago and we also provide a wide range of services, solutions, and support that's designed to keep it safe.
We use top-tier technology solutions and a wealth of expertise to mitigate your cyber security risks, protect your networks, meet compliance requirements, secure your data, your reputation, your clients, and your business.
Take a look at what some of our clients are saying about Ntiva in our case study section below!