Do You Have the Right Impression of Hackers?

There tends to be a few very specific ideas of what a hacker looks like, primarily thanks to popular culture. Whether one pictures a hooded figure furiously typing in a darkened technology haven, or a social outcast that has made camp in his parents’ basement, there is a predisposition (almost a prejudice) that warps our perspective of cyberattacks and those who carry them out. This is perhaps what makes them so dangerous to businesses.

In reality, hacking is like any industry, covering a spectrum from complete amateurs who are following steps they found on the Internet to the professionals and government employees who know their craft backwards and forwards. However, the cybercrime industry is unique in that the proficiency of the practitioner is a somewhat moot point.

After all, at the end of the day, a cyberthreat is a cyberthreat is a cyberthreat. Regardless of what kind of threat an attacker leverages, your business is in trouble if it doesn’t have the right solutions in place to defend itself. While some cyberthreats are objectively worse than others, that doesn’t mean it’s good to be targeted by any. Really, the only good circumstance would be to have the necessary network security practices implemented to protect your business and its future.

UTM Security for Small Businesses Video

How the Average User Thinks About Hacking

Many average users could easily underestimate the severity of hacking, just because their impression of it is outdated and/or limited. While the viruses and malware that such people may consider the largest threat to their personal and business data are still a very real issue for many, threats have become much more insidious and impactful. Many people just don’t realize how bad things can potentially be.

The Reality

Today, hackers will not only use more advanced tools, they will use them in a much smarter way, and hit below the belt much more frequently than they once did. As a result, their attacks are much bigger threats than they were in the past, capable of crippling a user’s network. Today, hackers will pose as authority figures to fool users into sharing sensitive data, or install ransomware to extort money in exchange for a user’s data, or will just implement a way to access a network whenever they want and take what they may.

Of course, if a user doesn’t know about these threats, they certainly aren’t going to be able to identify them, much less stop them. This leaves your business vulnerable, unless there is a solution that stops these threats automatically and proactively.

This is why all businesses should have a Unified Threat Management solution (also known as a UTM device) implemented into their technology infrastructure.

The UTM combines a variety of security tools into a single solution, better protecting your business. With enterprise-quality firewalls, content filters, antivirus, and other safeguards protecting your network, you can be confident that you are safe to focus on your business matters. Working proactively, the UTM makes many threats a non-issue.

To learn more about implementing a UTM device in your business’ IT infrastructure, reach out to Datalyst at (774) 213-9701.