This year, it’s predicted there will be a ransomware attack every 11 seconds.

The dark web is becoming bigger. Activity has grown by 300% over the past three years.

What’s the dark web? It’s a secret internet that you need special software to access. And it’s where illegal things are discussed and sold – weapons, drugs, and your data. It’s big business. Why wouldn’t these cyber-criminal organizations increase their operations when it’s worth a whopping $20 billion to them in revenue?

This is one of the things that’s driven the huge increase in ransomware. That’s where your data is encrypted and held hostage until you pay the ransom fee.  Thanks to the success of ransomware (on businesses just like yours), more and more hackers are heading to the dark web to learn how to do it. And that means that there are more ransomware threats heading your way. If your details are floating around the dark web, it’s highly likely your business will be targeted at some point soon.

Fortunately, there are many things you can do to keep yourself and your business safe.

  • Have a working and verified backup. It’s impossible to keep yourself 100% protected from an attack. If it does happen, you have the peace of mind that you still have a copy of your important data.
  • Enable multi-factor authentication on all your accounts. This is where you generate a code on a second device to prove it really is you logging in. Even if the hackers have cracked your password, or have installed a secret key logger that’s recording every key you press, this will make it very difficult for them to log in.
  • Practice safe password management. Use a password manager to create long randomly generated passwords, then remember them for you. Get your whole team to use a manager.
  • Have a plan in place in case you do suffer a data breach. Make sure that everyone knows the plan. Including who they should alert if they suspect something is wrong.

 

If you want to do more to keep your data and your business protected, TailWinds Technologies can help.

Give us a call at 205-332-1600 to arrange an obligation-free cybersecurity assessment.