HOW TO FIGHT AGAINST CYBER CRIME?
Today a computer threat can block the activity of a hospital, stop the production of a factory, change the display of signs in stations or leak personal and private information. Driven by hackers whose profile has changed significantly since the early 2000s, cybercrime thrives in a world where new technologies are omnipresent and govern our daily lives. Structured groups are formed with political, social, economic, religious or purely commercial motivations. Fighting against these threats is therefore essential for companies, local authorities and public authorities which are investing more and more in IT security and data protection.
Cybercrime: no one is immuneIt may sound a little alarmist,
but it is the reality. In May 2017, a computer virus known as WannaCry spread
to more than 150 countries, affecting thousands of organizations and
businesses. It is one of the largest cyberattacks to date costing millions of
dollars. SMEs, associations, large international groups, media, health organizations,
government sites everyone is a potential target and no one is spared. A study
estimates that at a global level, companies could lose $ 8 billion due to cybercrime
over the next five years.
Tackling cybercrime is a complex
problem, because it is an area that requires a high level of technical
expertise and a good knowledge of these issues. Impossible to put a police
officer in all the companies. The solution is therefore apparently simple:
invest in total
security software and no longer consider this position as an option. It is
therefore necessary to train IT security and data protection professionals
capable of having a triple vision: technical, legal and managerial. A sector
which is also experiencing strong growth today.
Cybersecurity: train, inform, anticipate and secure
Being able to defend yourself
against online threats first and foremost means knowing your enemy. This is the
reason why training is essential. Viruses, Trojans, keyloggers, malware,
ransomware, phishing, social engineering the catalog of potential dangers is
immense, but in most cases the only remedy lies between the chair and the
keyboard: the user. The more the latter is trained, knows the threats and is
able to acquire good practices, the more complicated the task of the hacker
will be. Never changing your passwords or writing them on a post-it slipped
under the keyboard or in a Word document is like leaving the door wide open to
hackers. In this sense, training is important, but the associated behavioral
changes are even more so.
In terms of cybercrime, it's a
bit of a cat-and-mouse game. Attacks always evolve faster than defense.
Responsiveness is therefore essential for companies. If the users are well
trained, the tools used must be perfectly secure. All the more reason to
constantly update its hardware and software (OS and business software, in fixed
and mobile version) to fill security gaps when they arise. At the mobile level,
an MDM (mobile device management) system also makes it possible to facilitate
the work of the IT department by adding security overlays on native OS.
For organizations, combating
cybercrime also requires a regular audit of its tools, processes and response
techniques. Just as it is common to do fire drills, it is useful to simulate
attacks or do stress tests to measure the response capacity of a defense
system. The Ministry of the Economy and Finance even took the test by sending a
phishing email to its 145,000 agents to measure the impact of protection and
awareness measures. Result: 20% of employees have been fooled. A life-size test
that provides valuable indicators on how to approach cybersecurity.
Cybercrime that adapts
The development of connected
objects (also known by the acronym IoT for Internet of Things - the Internet of
Things) represents a new playground for hackers. Watches, locks, light bulbs,
smart speakers, household appliances, traffic lights… the moment an object is
connected, it is vulnerable.
This is why investing in
cybersecurity is essential. A report also predicts that this market will
increase by 11% between 2017 and 2022. A trend that will push organizations to
seek future digital data security specialists to fight cybercrime.
Cybercrime is a protean world
that must be understood in order to have all the keys to better defend
yourself. A challenge for many CIOs who are on the front line facing complex
threats of which only insiders understand the risks. Anticipation, security and
training remain the three essential pillars of defense for those who want to
protect their organization.
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