5 MYTHS ABOUT CYBER SECURITY YOU SHOULD PROBABLY KNOW
No doubt you’ve read a number of articles on Cyber Security by now. Maybe you’re starting to get a handle on what it means for your Club, or maybe you’re more confused than ever.
Whatever the case may be, we’ve laid out some key myth busting facts that might help you on your cyber awareness journey.
- Myth #1: Ransomware is what I should be most concerned about
Ransomware makes headlines, but phishing is still the most common type of cyber-attack. Phishing is what happens when someone in your club clicks on a link they weren’t supposed to, gives away critical information, and compromises your company data.
Don’t underestimate the importance of user training and awareness to help protect your key weakness when it comes to security – your people.
- Myth #2: We have MFA, so we’re protected
We hate to break it to you, but multi-factor authentication (MFA) is not a catchall for cyber resilience. At 3rdmill, we’ve seen instances of phishing emails that have been able to get around MFA using clever tactics. Not to mention SMS’s can be spoofed these days! MFA is of course important, but it’s only a piece of the puzzle. [If you don’t have MFA… call your IT provider immediately!]
- Myth #3: We don’t have that much data anyway
Data is everywhere. Your membership and gaming systems all contain enormous amounts of company data that are considered ‘honey pots’ for many bad actors out there. Even something as simple as your public facing website being compromised can create a PR nightmare – as members who may have submitted a simple contact form suddenly find their email and personal details exposed on the web!
- Myth #4: Backups will get us out of hot water, right?
Backups are a critical part of being prepared for a ransomware attack, but sometimes it’s not enough. Some ransomware “hides” in your infrastructure for days, weeks or months – infecting all your backups – so there is no safe place to recover from. It’s worth considering Cyber Insurance as a failsafe for these instances, where there are no other options but to pay and hope your data is returned.
- Myth #5: We lock down our networks, they can’t get in
If you’re not across this story about a casino being hacked via a fish tank, it makes for a very interesting (and frightening) read. Social engineering is the new frontier for cyber security threats, with some hackers going so far as to pose as contractors to gain access to your infrastructure!
- Myth #6: We have a tech savvy workforce; they know what they’re doing
Yes, cyber security awareness is increasing with new generations coming into the workforce, but the variation is not as much as you’d think. Even digitally savvy millennials only vary by a few percentage points in their cyber security awareness, as shown by the statistics below.
About 3rdmill
3rdmill is a Technology Services Provider that has been supporting the club industry with their IT for over 15 years.
3rdmill operates across Australia and New Zealand with deep expertise in a range of network, systems, security, applications, and Cloud. Working with us enables our customers to tap into this expertise to design, plan and execute IT that works in practice, not just on paper.
