Not unlike the flu, it seems the moment we get over the previous attack, Cyber-attacks reform in a stronger, more aggressive fashion.

With the ever-present and ongoing issue of Cyber Safety, it’s always important to stay up-to-date with the latest developments in online security, guarding ourselves against this ‘Invisible Invader’.

The latest publication of the Chamber of Commerce & Industry WA’s Business Pulse highlighted the following popular forms of Cyber-attacks:

1. MALWARE – Malicious software that disguises itself as beneficial, with ulterior motives, such as providing remote access or accessing your personal information.
2. BUSINESS EMAIL COMPROMISE – Targeting business emails that disclose financial information or wire transfer details to steal funds.
3. RANSOMWARE ATTACK – Unfortunately, this is exactly what it sounds like. A form of malware that holds your device or system hostage until a ransom is paid to release the grip. Sounds far-fetched, but happens more frequently than we care to imagine!
4. PHISHING EMAILS – The standard email ‘trick’ trying to convince you to click a malicious link or download a foreign attachment (usually disguised as something important)
5. APT ATTACK – ‘Advanced Persistent Threats’ are intelligent enough to sneak under the radar and avoid detection, quietly extracting important information from your system.
6. DDoS ATTACK – ‘Distributed Denial of Service’ attacks attempt to make online services unavailable by flooding it with overwhelming amounts of traffic from compromised devices.

As always, we recommend consulting an I.T professional for assistance with Cyber security, and to be cautious when it comes to opening unknown emails and/or attachments.