With the advancements in technology every year, the need for protection against cyber threats increases as well. Stronger technologies mean hackers and cyber attackers have better weapons to hit us with.
Some industries are prone to more intensive and frequent cyber attacks than others. Those industries need the latest and up-to-date cybersecurity practices to keep their data safe. That’s because these industries could offer more valuable pieces of information to the attackers.
Here are 5 of those at-risk industries that need the maximum level of cybersecurity.
Healthcare
Healthcare is one of the industries that encompass some of the most sensitive pieces of data hackers could get their hands on. Various reports show that ill and elderly people are much easier targets of online scams and thefts. Hackers want to get access to patients’ sensitive information so they can use it to effectively manipulate them.
Professionalism in nursing doesn’t only comprise being able to diagnose and treat effectively. Although that’s the primary purpose of a healthcare institute, professional doctors and nurses also educate their patients about online threats like social engineering attacks, making sure they don’t fall into traps. Other medical professionals, such as a medical content writer or a CER medical writer can play their part in informing people about possible scams in this field.
Healthcare information must be protected with the latest and greatest cybersecurity practices. Data must be stored on secure private servers with minimum reachability.
Small businesses
Small- and medium-sized businesses don’t have the same level of data protection as larger businesses do. That’s why they’re more vulnerable to potential cyber-attacks and data thefts. Moreover, smaller businesses don’t usually have strong capabilities to recover from the loss caused by an attack.
When user data is stolen from a larger organization, it usually has planned steps it needs to take to regain the trust of customers. However, smaller businesses mostly aren’t prepared for such disasters.
eCommerce
To process orders and ship products, eCommerce businesses have to store a lot of information about their customers. This information includes phone numbers, emails, addresses, payment information, and more.
If hackers manage to bypass the security measures, they can get their hands on all that information, and sell it to scammers, thieves, and social engineers. A breach in an eCommerce’s database might put hundreds of thousands of customers at risk.
The majority of online scams originate from something as simple as a phone call to a leaked phone number. When a number leaks out and reaches a scammer’s database, it’ll eventually end up in many more scammers’ contact lists later on.
Government
If there’s a place where the biggest chunks of public data are stored, it’s the government’s databases. Governments have tremendous amounts of sensitive data about citizens, including but not limited to contact information, addresses, biometrics like fingerprint & facial data, financial information, and much more.
A breach in such a database can be extremely dangerous. In 2016, someone was able to breach NSA’s servers and it turned out to be extremely damaging for national security. While governments’ cybersecurity is strong and attacks aren’t very frequent, 2016’s NSA attack is certainly not going to be the last one.
Solid cybersecurity measures must be taken to ensure the data of millions of people isn’t at the risk of being accessed by attackers.
Finance
It must be no surprise that financial institutes pack a lot of valuable information for hackers. These institutes gather and store information directly related to money — the main thing attackers are after.
More than 150 million Americans’ data was exposed in the Equifax breach. While it was mainly due to the institute’s negligence, we should certainly take precautionary measures to prevent future attacks.
Needless to say, financial institutes should adopt the latest tools and technologies of cybersecurity, while also practicing the best measures to prevent thefts and breaches.
Final word
Advanced technology means newer and better tools and techniques for hackers to breach a database and steal sensitive pieces of information. The above-mentioned areas are the ones at the highest level of risk as they collect and store useful information for attackers to work with.
Industries must take solid, up-to-date precautionary measures to ensure the safety of millions of customers. Companies should use the latest secure servers while utilizing the best cybersecurity practices.
Author Bio:
Leonie Walton is an expert in Network Security, with a strong understanding and knowledge of computer, network, and security systems. She is an enthusiastic contributor eager to promote her experience through sharing their expertise with others. She has extensive expertise in advising people on how to understand computers and security in the online world, by integrating numerous methodologies and tips that bring the best results for them.
Leonie is a guest blogger. All opinions are her own.
