For who is cyber security important?

Cyber security, cyber attacks and cybercrime, these terms have the tendency of popping up everywhere. But what do they mean, and for who is it important? We see data leaks and hacks all around us, but do we know what these events actually entail? What threats are there, and how real is the chance of your business falling prey to a data leak or hack?
How likely is it that your company will fall prey to cybercrime?
A lot of people seem to think that cyber attacks only take place at large companies, banks, or government agencies, but unfortunately that’s far from reality. In 2019, 50% of Dutch companies fell victim to some form of cyber attack. In 2021, Dutch Chamber of Commerce estimated that there are about 294 cyber attacks on companies per week, which means 1 in 5 entrepreneurs will be affected.

Types of cyber attacks and their consequences
The consequences of a cyber attack can pile up in no time and range considerably between problems with a website to completely losing control of your company’s digital environment. Because of the different experiences, we’ll go through the most common types of cyber attacks and their consequences.
- DDoS-attack
In a DDoS attack, hackers send massive amounts of digital traffic to a destination such as a website or server in a short period of time. The website or server cannot handle this large load of traffic and gets problems functioning, this causes the website to slow down or may even make it unusable.
- Ransomware
A ransomware attack often enters through a link, advertisement, attachment or through a targeted attack. Through one of these ways, the ransomware enters and takes files or sometimes even an entire server hostage. This hostage taking prevents a company from accessing its files or the server. Companies are then forced to pay a ransom to regain access to their properties.
- Digital break-in
Hackers can also purposefully break into a company or organization’s servers. By doing this they can get access to sensitive information, like personal or financial information of employees and/or customers. A company victimized by this may face some form of ransom, but there is also a chance that it may have to defend itself against claims for damages by the individuals whose data was leaked.
What are you able to do for your cyber security?
To keep your cybersecurity up to date, there’s a few basic procedures you can follow:
- Make timely backups.
- Only use secure internet hotspots.
- Install your updates promptly.
- Use strong passwords, and change them regularly.
You can also choose to take out insurance against cybercrime. It is also wise to have your cybersecurity monitored and/or strengthened by a specialized third party. After all, it’s better to be safe than sorry!