Prioritize Security in 2020

Cybercriminals aren’t exactly holding back when it comes to attacking businesses, which means that businesses can’t sit back and relax as the new year rolls in. Too often, we talk to companies who either say “It’s not going to happen to me” or “I’m too small to be a target”. If you have a business, you ARE a target.  Nobody is too small, and it WILL happen to you.  Let’s take a few moments to look toward the near future, and some of the issues that you need to consider.

Misconfigured Cloud Environments

There is no question that cloud-based solutions deliver considerable benefits to businesses, and as a result, there has been considerable growth in the adoption of these cloud solutions. However, this growth isn’t necessarily all that it’s cracked up to be, as it has led to a steep divide between the adoption of these solutions, and the skills needed to maintain, sustain, and secure these infrastructures.

Research firm Gartner has given credit for a full 95 percent of public cloud security failures to – not the providers of the platform – but the customers using these public cloud platforms. 2019 alone has seen more than its fair share of security issues due to misconfigured cloud solutions, such as the now-infamous Capital One breach.

It’s safe to say that these issues will continue in 2020.

Compliance Fatigue

Among the widespread threats to cybersecurity, one of the biggest issues has predictably been the understandable wearing down of businesses in the face of so many regulations and other measures that are dictated to them – often contradicting one another. The requirements are so numerous, with so few actions directed toward the enforcement of them, it is little wonder that businesses let certain requirements slide.

This is dangerous, and the regulations that businesses need to abide by are in place for the mutual benefit of a business and its clientele. Think of the risk that your business faces if hit by a data breach.  Not only will you be hit with fees, fines, and lots of bad P.R., your customers will be hit hard, as well. If a business fails to meet these certain standards, it is putting the welfare of its clients and of its own operations in jeopardy.

Exacerbating the problem,  businesses in certain verticals and industries may be subject to multiple regulations and requirements at once, with the potential that these regulations and compliance requirements can be incredibly restrictive. As a final result, it only becomes more likely that, in response to these ever-increasing demands, some businesses may neglect their cybersecurity, falling to oversights and omissions (this doesn’t include those companies that are too cost-conscientious to bother with making the effort).

Phishing Attacks

Regardless of how much effort you put into securing your network, there is one weakness that can’t just be patched: the human nature of the user. Whether we’re referring to one of your employees, or yes, you yourself, many times the least secure aspect of any of your business computing is the person sitting at the workstation. After all, it is much easier to manipulate a human being than it is to trick a computer… a trend that isn’t likely to change in 2020, and not for many years after that.

This means that one of your most worthwhile investments into cybersecurity will actually be the time you and your employees spend learning how to spot impending scams, understand the threat landscape,  and mitigate issues before they cause any trouble.

Mobile Malware

Considering how much our reliance on our mobile devices has increased, it should come as no surprise that malware that targets mobile devices has become more popular as well – and we’re talking a lot more popular. Throughout 2018, Kaspersky Lab observed a significant increase in malware attacks that targeted banking applications – during that year alone, the number of malware files used jumped from 18,501 to 29,841. This just goes to show that cybercriminals are focusing their efforts where they are more likely to be effective.

Ashton Technology Solutions is here to help businesses like yours handle their technology, part of which means assisting in keeping it secure. To learn more about what you need to do in the new year to protect your operations, reach out to us today by calling 216 397-4080.