5 more common security threats you need to know

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With computer hackers constantly evolving their techniques for stealing data and holding businesses to ransom, it’s vital to ensure that your company’s network is secure. We’ve already looked at five common security threats that could compromise your network’s security, and now we look at five more threats you need to be aware of.

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1 Computer worm

The computer worm is a malicious piece of software which can replicate itself with incredible speed, spreading across a network. It accesses email programs and automatically sends itself to every contact, enabling it to spread quickly.

The recent notorious attack on NHS computers was down to the WannyCry worm, also known as WCRY or Wanna Decryptor. According to an article in The Telegraph, more than 15 NHS organisations were affected by the worm, which demanded hefty ransom payments to prevent data from being completely destroyed. Telephone systems were also affected, forcing staff to rely on their own smartphones as they resorted to pen and paper, while entire systems were shut down to prevent the worm from spreading.

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2 Phishing

Just about everyone with an email address will have been subject to ‘phishing’ emails at some point. These emails are carefully designed to look like genuine messages from banks, email providers and other organisations. Embedded links take you to a site which looks just like the real thing, and you are encouraged to input your personal information, in order to access a service or respond to a message. Once you have inputted this information, the hackers are free to use your login details and passwords to their own advantage.

3 Botnet

A botnet is a series of computers compromised by a Trojan horse or other virus. Each computer becomes a ‘zombie’ under the control of a ‘master’ or ‘herder’, who uses this coerced network for a variety of activities, such as organising a coordinated attack on a target website. A good endpoint security management system, from a reputable company such as https://www.promisec.com, will prevent hostile takeovers and keep your data secure from attacks.

4 Spam

Unwanted emails, or spam, can often contain links which, when clicked, direct you to a rogue site which then installs malware onto your device.

5 Rootkit

Hackers install rootkits onto unsecured devices, which enables them to gain administrator access to that device and any associated networks.

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