In recent times, the ominous specter of ransomware has been haunting the digital world, with high-profile incidents sending shockwaves through businesses and organizations. Just last week, two such alarming events have dominated headlines in the cybersecurity world, the ransomware attacks on MGM Resorts and Caesars Entertainment, two giants in the hospitality and entertainment industry. These cyberattacks demonstrated the dire consequences of ransomware for well-known enterprises, and this article aims to shed light on the importance of using a Managed Service Providers (MSP) like SnyderOne to fortify your defenses against these digital extortionists.

For businesses, data loss, downtime, and the cost of ransom payments can be catastrophic, potentially leading to severe financial losses and reputational damage - and you may be at risk now.

You may think that cyber attacks only happen to large corporations. But unfortunately, that's not the case.

According to a recent report, almost two-thirds of small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) suffered at least one cyber attack over the past year. That's a staggering number, and it should serve as a wake-up call for businesses everywhere.

But it gets worse.

More and more businesses are also experiencing repeat attacks, with 87% reporting at least two successful attacks over the past year. And on average, a company suffers almost five successful cyber incidents.

Terrifying. The question is, why are these attacks happening, and what can you do to prevent them?

Tired of endless notifications from your multi-factor authentication (MFA) app? Cyber criminals are exploiting this "MFA fatigue" to target your valuable business data. MFA adds an extra layer of security by requiring multiple identity verifications. However, attackers flood employees with constant MFA notifications, increasing the likelihood of someone authenticating a login attempt out of frustration or exhaustion.

Have you ever tried to buy tickets for a huge event and found that the seller’s website has collapsed under the weight of thousands of people all trying to do the same thing at the same time?

The ticket site falls over – usually temporarily – because the server is overloaded with traffic it doesn’t have the capacity for.

Criminal Distributed Denial of Service attacks – DDoS, for short – exploit the same principle. When a DDoS attack targets a business, it floods it with internet traffic in an attempt to overwhelm the system and force it to fail. This results in the business and its customers being unable to access services. That may trigger a temporary failure, or it could be more serious.

AI chatbots have become a dominant force in recent times, but beware, their rise has given cyber criminals the tools to create even more frightening scams. These malicious actors have discovered how AI can make their phishing attacks more insidious and terrifyingly effective.

Ironically, the phishing emails generated by a chatbot feel more human than ever before – which puts you and your people at greater risk of falling for a scam. So we all need to be even more careful.

The typical red flags that people are used to looking out for in suspicious emails, such as spelling and grammar errors, are now being eliminated by AI-powered phishing emails. The technology can even construct entire email threads that appear legitimate and trustworthy, making it even more difficult to distinguish between what's genuine and what's not.

To protect your home from an intruder you make sure your doors and windows are all locked and secured. You might go further: build a fence around the perimeter, perhaps even get an angry-looking dog to stand guard.

But there’s no point going to all that effort if someone’s already broken in and set up camp in the basement. Yet that’s the security policy of thousands of big businesses trying to protect their data from cyber criminals. They do many of the right things. They invest in security software. They take a strong, multi-layered approach to security – including all the things we recommend, like multi-factor authentication, encryption, reliable backup systems and staff training.

But they don’t pay enough attention to detection and response. That involves constantly scanning systems for any sign that a crook may have gained entry somewhere, and having a process to stop an attack in its tracks. A new study shows that only a third of businesses place detection as their main priority, while two thirds say prevention is their primary focus.

Another day, another scam. And this is a sneaky one. Cyber criminals are getting smarter. This recent malware threat is unusually smart. It impersonates a highly trusted brand name to get a foot in the door.

Targets receive a convincing looking email that appears to come from a widely used e-signature platform. Attached to the email is a blank image that’s loaded with empty svg files, which are carefully encoded inside an HTML file attachment (stay with us here).

In short, it’s very clever and it’s tricking its way past a lot of security software.

That puts businesses like yours at risk. Because code within the image sends people to a malicious URL.

When you think about tools for remote working and chatting online, one of the first names in your mind is Zoom. But its popularity has opened the door for cyber criminals. They’re using its name to steal sensitive data.

Researchers have discovered at least six convincing-looking download sites. They’re not the real thing. They’re designed to tempt you into downloading FAKE Zoom software, containing ‘info stealers’ and other forms of malware (malicious software).

Accidentally use one of these sites thinking that you’re downloading a Zoom update… and you risk having sensitive data stolen. Possibly your banking info, passwords, or browser history. Some can even steal your multi-factor authentication details. That could give cyber criminals access to your most sensitive data.