Cybersecurity refers to the practise and action taken in order to protect user computers, networks, programs and data from unauthorised access within a business.

Businesses have historically taken an extremely reactive approach in fighting cyberthreats and cyberattacks by relying on individual security technologies to protect their most valuable assets being their intellectual and proprietary company data.

This method has over recent years resulted in stories of devastating breaches impacting loss of revenue, loss of confidential company data and overall loss of business credibility.

Common cyberattacks

Some of the more commonly known cyberattacks are:

Denial-of-Service (DoS): Denial-of-Service attack occurs when multiple systems flood the bandwidth or resources of a targeted system, usually one or more web servers. Such an attack is often the result of multiple compromised systems flooding the targeted system with traffic which could include malicious software infecting the network.

Malware: A malware attack is a type of cyberattack in which malicious software performs activities on the victim’s computer system. Malicious software can be described as unwanted software that is installed in your system without your consent. It can attach itself to legitimate code and propagate.

Phishing: A phishing attack attempts to send emails that appear to be from trusted senders with the aim of gaining your personal data and information. Sometimes phishing attacks surface as a link to an illegitimate website, which often tricks the user into downloading malware or disclosing personal information.

Eavesdropping: Eavesdropping is an unauthorised digital communication, real-time interception of a private communication, such as phone calls, instant messages or video conferences.

An eavesdropping attack, also known as snooping or sniffing, is a network security attack whereby an individual attempts to steal the information that smartphones, computers and other digital devices send or receive.

How to best protect your business

CipherWave and Securicom have partnered with the intention to help protect your business from the inevitable world of cybercrime by offering pro-active network, email and endpoint security solutions all designed as a managed service to compliment your current security technologies suite.

Being rapidly growing leaders within their respective verticals both service providers have identified the need to upskill and empower businesses around the threats of trading within a digital world which sometimes has a dark underbelly.

CipherWave offers a uniquely safe and secure cloud environment with the option of dedicated managed FortiGate firewall protection or unified virtual server protection when hosting within their owned and managed Midrand data centre facility.

In creating a security-focused workplace, CipherWave is able to supply an end-to-end security solution encompassing firewalls, email anti-virus and anti-spam, server anti-virus and endpoint protection solutions not just for office-based users, but for remote workforces who still require access to the office network.

Measures to mitigate cyberattacks may vary, but security basics should remain the same. We recommend the following best practises to help improve your business’s security competency:

Continuously review and update your systems and anti-virus databases,

Embrace employee security awareness programmes,

Insist that your service provider configures your firewall to whitelist only the specific ports and hosts which you need,

Ensure that you keep your passwords strong,

Adopt a regular cloud backup strategy with a reputable cloud service provider, and

Continuously conduct IT security audits in search of suspicious activity.

CipherWave is a South African Internet Service Provider (ISP) that provides growing businesses with a range of solutions to help them connect, communicate and collaborate with their customers, employees and suppliers.

“We own and manage our own network infrastructure, which enables us to provide efficient, speedy service and support that our customers can count on 24/7,” said Cipherwave.

This article was published in partnership with Cipherwave.