More and more companies have understood that the future is digital and therefore their services and internal processes digitization have to. The new business card is the Website, today’s sales outlet is the online shop, repetitive tasks are handed over to machines and artificial intelligence, and collaboration often takes place online. Virtual Workplaces, Data management in the cloud, and video conferencing enable working from home or from any location in the world. However, what very few think about is that Digitization brings not only opportunities but also dangers. Hacker attacks are becoming more frequent and above all more sophisticated. The hackers are usually unscrupulous.
Dangers of Digitization for SMEs, Associations & Large Corporations
In particular, SMEs, associations, and large corporations are more threatened by hacker attacks than ever. Because when hackers penetrate the IT infrastructure for the first time or get hold of sensitive data, it is usually too late. The programs are damaged, blocked, or modified, the data is sold or published on the Darknet/Darkweb, for example, and the company is either ruined or blackmailed. Unfortunately, this is everyday life in a digitized world. And this is exactly where companies in particular need to be made aware. Because the dangers of digitization can pose an existential threat to the future success and reputation of a company.
The good news: we are not at the mercy of the whole thing. Because with today’s incredibly advanced Cyber Security it is possible to detect and close security gaps. It is important that a company’s holistic security concept is created. Because it is useless if, for example, only the W-LAN is secured, but not the network or the end devices themselves. In order for a company in the time of Digitization secure and can prevent hacker attacks, different levels have to be considered. In the following, I will briefly discuss some of these potential risks.
Dangers of Digitization – End Devices
If you want to protect yourself or your company from hacker attacks, you should latest Security Technologies operate when it comes to terminal devices such as PCs, smartphones, tablets, laptops, etc. to protect. Traditional antivirus programs are no longer sufficient here. Because traditional antivirus programs protect against known viruses, malware, ransomware, etc., but usually not against unknown viruses or so-called zero-day attacks. Here it is therefore recommended to use the so-called Zero Trust Principle to work. The zero trust principle means that everything that happens on the end device is checked and classified. latest Cyber Security Solutions, such as WatchGuard’s EPDR solution, can guarantee this because they work with artificial intelligence in addition to traditional antivirus protection.
Dangers of Digitization – Network
More and more digital networks enable us to work effectively and efficiently. But here, too, there is of course a large risk potential for companies. Because when a hacker gets into a network for the first time, he can spy on the company for weeks or months, steal company data, or damage or paralyze the entire network. In a company that has digitized many processes, for example, this could mean that almost all work processes would have to be stopped. In the worst case, this could lead to bankruptcy. Therefore, every company should have its own network with Firewall protection.
Dangers of Digitization – W-LAN
The probably most underestimated danger in the field of digitization is the W-LAN. Most conventional access points fail when it comes to averting the 6 dangers in a wireless network. In a study by Miercom our partner WatchGuard was the only company able to avert all dangers. We not only offer a solution with an access point from WatchGuard itself, but also a solution for companies or private individuals who are already using an access point from another company, but want to protect the WLAN against the 6 threats.
Dangers of Digitization – Weak Passwords
More and more applications are making our work and private lives easier and more beautiful. However, in order to access the applications, a username and password are usually required. This can quickly become quite confusing and cause us to keep forgetting our passwords. For this reason, most users use the same or a similar password everywhere. However, this is very dangerous. Because once the password has been cracked, the hacker can penetrate all applications. Using different passwords and writing them down isn’t much smarter. Because this data could be viewed by another person or lost. But there is a solution here too – the Multifactor Authentication. With Multiple authentications, it is almost impossible to gain access to your applications.
Dangers of Digitization – The User
The user or, in the case of a company, the employee is one of the greatest threats in the digital world. Because if an employee or even a private person is inattentive and opens any unknown files, this can also lead to a hacker gaining access to a system or sensitive data – usually without the person concerned noticing. Even the smartest security system cannot completely eliminate this danger. Therefore we offer both Consultations, as well as Awareness Lectures for companies and associations, in which we sensitize the employees or members in dealing with digital media and systems.
Avert the Dangers of Digitization
As you can see, there are numerous ways to protect yourself from hacker attacks. As already mentioned, it is important to install a holistic security concept. In cooperation with WatchGuard we can offer you the latest security technologies in the following areas so that you are completely protected:
- IT Security Check
- EPDR for the security of your end devices
- Firewalls for the security of your network
- Access Points or SD-WAN for the security of your W-LAN
- MFA – Authpoint Security for secure log-in to applications
- Awareness Lectures & Consultations for the sensitization of your employees
Do you have any questions or would you like comprehensive advice? Contact us without obligation. We would be happy to advise you in a personal telephone conversation or on-site.
