A major uptick in hacking and data breaches is expected at some point soon due to this global pandemic which was caused by the coronavirus. We expect that we will soon see the news of a substantial increase in the number of corporate data breaches. This is due to the rapid rollout of remote work. The incidence of future corporate breaches will continue to increase over the coming months because small and medium sized business owners are not aware of what they should be looking for and doing preparatory training.
Although “malware” is an overarching term that refers to a number of malicious software variants, many times it is seen as a virus, software, and now, more commonly, ransomware. This type of software is designed to deliberately damage a computer or network all while collecting the valuable information that is on them.
Currently, malware is the fastest growing threat to small and medium sized businesses. Ransomware is a type of software that will maliciously take control of your computer files, denying you access to them until you pay the requested amount to the hackers. Unfortunately, what many businesses don’t realize is that a hacker will usually do what they can to get the most money possible, so what they will do is take your files for ransom, get the requested amount from you, and then still sell your files online for extra money – a double whammy! More on the threat of ransomware here – To Pay or Not to Pay, That is the Question.
Phishing is among the most common types of hacking these days. We often see it in the form of an email that seems to be from a sender or organization that you know. Unfortunately, this is only an imitation, and the links or attachments that are sent along with it in the phishing email are filled with different types of malware – often key loggers used to track the information that you input to ultimately steal valuable information from your company.
What we can predict for the nefarious industry of hacking after this global pandemic subsides is that a significant increase in data breaches will be seen shortly thereafter. Soon enough, we will start seeing headline after headline of major data breaches because of the quick implementation to remote work due to the pandemic. Businesses weren’t as ready as they perceived themselves to be, and that sad lack of robust preparation is costing everyone.
LibertyID is the leader in identity theft restoration, having restored the identities of tens of thousands of individuals without fail. If you retain personal information on your customers, now is the time to get data breach planning and a response program in place with our LibertyID for Small Business data breach preparation program. With LibertyID Enterprise you can now add value to existing products, services, or relationships by covering your customers, employees, or members with LibertyID’s fully managed identity theft restoration service—at a fraction of our retail price—with no enrollment and no file sharing. We have no direct communication with your group members–until they need us.
Call us now for a no obligation proposal at 844-411-LIBERTY (844-411-5423).