IT risks at a glance
With increasing digitization and networking, the number of nodes through which hackers could invade and cause damage is multiplying. With special tools, hackers find simple technical vulnerabilities automatically. Employees themselves are also a major security risk if they respond to phishing mails or fail to observe important security standards.
Loss of data and industry secrets
In addition to the theft of intellectual property such as design and production data, stolen personnel and customer data can also become a problem or cause major reputational damage.
Loss of production
It also becomes expensive if an attack stops production. Last but not least, manipulated machines can even endanger the safety of employees.
Ransomware and phishing mails – common traps for employees
The attackers get into the system through phishing mails or ransomware.
Ransomware is malware that directly attacks the system and prevents the computer owner from accessing data, using it, or the entire computer system. (Ransom, English for “ransom”). The hackers take advantage of the employee’s ignorance and trick him, e.g. with good texts, into clicking on a message, opening something and thus letting the virus “into the house”. In “phishing”, the hacker tries to obtain the user’s personal data using fake email addresses or websites.
Undetected burglaries have a long lasting effect
Some companies have already fallen victim to a hacker without realizing it. The manipulations only come to light much later, through complaints from customers or suppliers. If an infiltrated system is not misused to distribute spam or malware, it can take an average of 300 days before the intrusion is discovered!
