How The Cloud is Evolving The Cybersecurity Industry
The growth of Cloud-based applications has provided businesses with instantly scalable resources, faster performance, and increased security. Through Cloud computing, cybercrime services can help prevent online crime, however, it comes with its own threats.
The Cloud has revolutionized how businesses and organizations can deliver their products and services and communicate among teams and with customers. The global market for Cloud computing has grown exponentially over the past decade. In 2020, it was estimated to be worth $330 million. Whether you’re a digital marketing agency or selling custom purses online, the Cloud can provide you with easily accessible resources to scale your business.
Cybercrime is a gigantic problem. As businesses move more of their data online, this becomes a target for cybercriminals who are crafty at finding new methods for achieving their goals. Cybersecurity methods continue to develop to prevent cybercrime, however, it’s hard to keep up. If you or your brand keeps any data online, either in the form of a credit card number or bank account, or client data for your business, you could be the target of cybercrime.
The Cloud has changed the cybercrime industry
While the Cloud is an excellent way to share data across multiple platforms and devices, it comes with its own threats. Many Cloud-based applications and providers have their own cybersecurity methods set in place that are geared towards preventing data breaches. This is beneficial for small businesses and companies that haven’t implemented enough security measures on their own local networks to truly protect their data. We shouldn’t rely solely on the apps themselves, however, for multiple reasons.
Before implementing a third-party Cloud-based solution into your business, it is important to find out what model or system they are using as well as whether they use a public or privately secure platform. How many “hoops” do potential threats need to move through to authenticate themselves? It’s important that apps be completely transparent about their security especially to prove their reliability. Because more businesses are becoming Cloud-based in some form, online criminals are learning new ways of hacking into Cloud programs.
The internet connection itself is important
Because the Cloud essentially lives across the internet, ensuring your business has adequate protection in place is critical. This doesn’t only mean for your work office but also those employees who may work from home either permanently or within a hybrid setting. Switching to a VPN network is great, but installing antivirus and antispyware software is still important for detecting unauthorized users. It’s also important to educate your employees on cybercrime prevention, which has also become a requirement for many liability insurance providers. Just because a wall may seem impenetrable, doesn’t mean criminals can’t guess a password or fool people into handing the passwords over.
Don’t forget phishing is still going strong
Cybercriminals have learned techniques for masking themselves as reputable applications and programs such as Outlook, Netflix, etc. Sometimes their mock-ups are so good that even the most experienced IT professional may almost be fooled. Oftentimes emails and text messages are sent seemingly from these applications, asking them to log in to check a possible breach or billing issue. From a link given in the email, we are taken to a fraudulent website intended to steal our passwords. Unless two-factor authentication is set in place, a password is often all a criminal needs to gain access to sensitive data.
APIs are also vulnerable to hackers
APIs, application programming interfaces, are codes that aid in the transmission of information between the Cloud servers and the software, or two other products such as browsers. If these are vulnerable, the communication being shared can be accessed by hackers. It can be frustrating for developers to try and protect these APIs and make them as secure as possible. Many have dedicated their careers to developing and updating new protections. Unfortunately, oftentimes it seems cybercriminals are always two steps ahead.
Technology continues to provide businesses and individuals with convenient methods for making our lives easier. As part of the modern advanced world, it would likely be impossible not to have our lives linked to the internet in some way. Luckily, the cybersecurity industry continues to grow as well. Working with a team of IT professionals who are up to date in new technologies and programs, experienced in Cloud security, and apt in how to react in the unfortunate event of a data breach can make a huge difference for your business.
Are you interested in learning more about Hurricane-IT’s services? We offer a wide selection of IT-based services for your on-site, remote, or hybrid company. Learn more by reaching out to a member of our team today.