Bluetek IT Solutions Blog

Not a day goes by we don’t hear about another “ransomware” attack, it seems – including high-profile attacks on a major U.S. oil pipeline and the world’s largest meat processing company.

President Joe Biden pressured Russian President Vladimir Putin to crack down on ransomware attacks to “avoid unnecessary action.”

As the name suggests, ransomware is an attack that locks your computer and demands a ransom to give back your data.

Cybercriminals typically target businesses and governments – in the hopes they’ll pay bounties to release files and perhaps avoid a public relations disaster – but opportunistic crooks also extort money from regular computer users, like you and me. Because hey, it all adds up.

You might sit down to use your laptop or desktop and see an on-screen alert that your computer has been locked or that your files have been “encrypted.” To obtain a decryption key, you must pay up. The ransom demanded from individuals varies greatly, but it's typically a few hundred dollars and must be paid in difficult-to-trace cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin.

Do you underestimate security threats?

Today, the world is flooded with cybersecurity news. Whether it’s a headline splashed across the media about your favorite retailer being hit by hackers or your local council falling victim to ransomware, there is no escaping the “cybercrime pandemic.”

Even despite this recent surge in cyberattacks, there are still a worrying number of organizations that don’t see themselves as a target. These organizations have a false sense of security that they are of no value or interest to cybercriminals — they are too small, too unknown or even too secure to be hit.

However, this misconception just makes them easier to hit. Overconfidence in security or not seeing yourself as a target leads to companies letting their guard down, which in turn creates opportunities for hackers. So, what are other most common security misconceptions we hear about from organizations, how do they put them in danger and, most importantly, how can they be resolved?

1. We are not a target for cybercriminals.

First and foremost, everyone is a target for cybercriminals. It doesn’t matter how big or small you are or how much or how little data you hold; cybercriminals will still see you as a target. This is an issue we hear about a lot when approaching new customers. However, once we have carried out an open-source background check, they are often surprised by the results.

We find fake social media accounts where CEOs and brands are being impersonated, often sending out malicious links in their posts. We also find a lot of other content online that shows the company has already been hit by attackers.