Hacker attacks via abuse of trusted applications

The Canadian government has been worried about the increasing hacker attacks or cyberattacks. These cybercriminals have been bold enough to not only infect the systems of business but also openly defy the government by hacking the systems of several municipalities.

RDP

A while ago, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) publicly stated that businesses were increasingly attacked as their endpoints of RDP (Remote Desktop Protocol) were exposed.

RDP is Microsoft’s technology which facilitates users for remote monitoring of their computers from a separate location. While it is a rarity for home-users, businesses use it heavily for their enterprise networks where it is generally used by system administrators.

Cybercriminals generally try to find a vulnerability in such connections and inject a virus in the remote hardware. Unlike phishing, such hacker attacks are easier because they do not require the input of user to be exploited and therefore they are even harder to identify.

These vulnerabilities can be a weak user password which can be easily cracked via a brute-force attack. Sometimes, the versions of RDP are not updated which may allow the hackers to exploit older weaknesses.

Phishing

With a business continuity plan, you can expect your company to remain alert for all kinds of unwanted business hindrances. Your employees will always have a plan of action in mind if you have briefed them about acting in a specific situation.

For example, a user gets an email with a warning that they violated a traffic regulation and have to pay the fine. As the victim downloads the given file, they allow the components of the virus to be downloaded in their PCs.

At times, such trickery involves encouraging you to type your personal or financial detail via pressure or greed. For instance, early in the year in Scotland, Arran Brewery—a beer business was involved in a cyberattack.

The malware used in that attack was a ransomware strain. In that attack, the cybercriminals used the fake credentials of the company to advertise for a job vacancy.

As a result, the business received an influx of emails. In one of those emails, the hackers incorporated the virus where the downloaded CV facilitated the virus to enter. Subsequently, the company’s systems were locked out and they were faced with a ransom demand of 2 Bitcoins.

The company contemplated and refused to bow down to such demands which caused the company to lose on their sales data of three months—just due to a simple download of an email attachment.

Phishing is not always reliant on emails. Sometimes, these cybercriminals are highly skilled in web development and are able to duplicate well-known websites like Facebook to deceive users into typing their credentials.

Today cybercriminals have become too advanced and sophisticated in their campaigns. The only way to combat these perpetrators is to adapt the latest cybersecurity measures and educate your employees. Contact Tecbound so we can help you transform into an impenetrable fortress.