Top Targets on Hackers’ Hit List

Hackers’ Hit List

2021 showed us that cyberspace is a world without limits for both users and malicious actors. Cyber attacks are growing fast, malicious schemes are more and more complicated, and we now know for sure that no one is completely safe over there - no matter how big your business is, low profile or high. In this blog post, we’d like to show the results of our investigation of top targets on hackers’ hit list. And the question we raise isn’t whether your business is at risk as we all are; it is more of statistical interest and about giving one more justified reason to prioritize cyber security. 

Who Are Hackers’ Targets?

Hackers’ targets can become any individual or business at least somehow linked to the Internet technologies. In today’s world, it’s extremely complicated to exclude all chances of Internet activities. Even if you don’t have access to the Internet and have never used it on your own, it doesn’t mean you aren’t there. Apart from those very rare cases of genuine absence of any tracks on the Internet, the rest are on the Internet; this means they are potential hackers’ targets. Just to be short and clear, if you use the Internet, you’re a potential target; if you think you don’t use the Internet, you can still be a potential target. Roughly speaking, every individual and organization are at risk of data breaches, hacks and other malicious cyber activities.

Who Are Top Targets on Hackers’ Hit List?

As you now understand this simple yet frustrating truth that no individual or organization is immune to cyber attacks, we’re ready to move on to top targets on hackers’ hit list. The most targeted fields and profit or non-profit unions include:

  • Business as the main target for cyber attacks:

- Online retailers. Ecommerce opens the whole world to businesses, but it also makes them more exposed to cyber threats. Online retailers are facing a hacking increase these days. See more details in our post about the most common threats to online retail cybersecurity and the ways to protect businesses.

- Small to medium businesses. Hackers can take advantage of smaller sizes of businesses to reach bigger targets in booming supply chain attacks, for example.

  • Financial institutions as the top target in the aspect of financial gain.
  • Healthcare as a more and more enticing field with the pandemic’s contribution to funding changes and remote work boom.
  • Education as a conglomeration of many people, resources, platforms, featuring poor cyber security, in many cases.

How to Protect Your BusinessText...

It is almost impossible to totally avoid becoming a hacker’s target. The things every business can do are to get prepared and make sure their cyber security is up to date and robust. Many factors of a particular company identify the way to move while improving cyber security. However, there are common practices every business can adopt. In that case, the business can become a hacker’s target but fight back and get out with minimal or no losses. 

Delegate cyber security to professionals. Cyber security needs to be prioritized and invested in because of the current negative situation with business targeting. The best way to ensure that your cyber security architecture is fully adequate is to be built, inspected and maintained by experts. For a large corporation, a cyber security department is the best choice. For smaller organizations, there are other options: fewer cyber security experts but more up-to-date tools; co-managed all or any cyber security services by MBS Tech or other reputable MSSPs.

Educate yourself and your business. Cyber security needs constant work. Not all the measures depend on cyber security experts only. Your staff’s cyber security awareness means a lot as its lack is among major sources of data breaches and other exposures. To raise cyber security awareness, you need to hold regular training (on your own or with expert help) and checks. 

Stay up to date with MBS Tech’s blog. Reach out to us for more details. And keep cyber safe!

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For your convenience, we’ve divided our blog on cyber security into several categories so that you can find necessary articles fast and effortlessly. Just choose the category that evokes your interest and enjoy reading.