A new report about security has found some worrying trends.

Firstly, cyber-attacks are happening faster than before. Breakout times, which is how quickly criminals move around your network once they get in, have gone down a lot. Last year, it took about 84 minutes, but now it’s just 62 minutes on average.

That’s not good news.

These attacks are not only faster but also more common. The report found 34 new cybercriminal groups, making the total over 230 groups tracked.
And here’s the scary part: Cyber criminals are getting smarter. The report says they’ve set a new record for moving around networks quickly, taking just two minutes and seven seconds. That’s hardly enough time to grab a coffee, let alone defend against them.

But the big problem? People are the primary way these cyber attacks get in.

They might trick your employees into clicking a link in an email that looks real but isn’t. Then, they could give away their login details without realizing it.
Or they might pretend to be someone your team trusts. This is called social engineering.

So, what can you do to protect your business from these threats?

1. Teach your employees: Make sure they know about the latest threats and how to spot them. Regular training can help them avoid making costly mistakes.

2. Use strong passwords: Encourage using complex passwords made and remembered by password managers. Use multi-factor authentication for extra security, where you confirm it’s really you logging in with another device.

3. Keep everything updated: Make sure all your software and systems have the newest security fixes. Cybercriminals often use weaknesses in old versions, so keeping up to date is essential.

4. Get cybersecurity software: Consider getting good cybersecurity software to detect and stop threats as they occur (we can help with this).

5. Back up your data: Regularly save copies of your data in a safe place. If there’s an attack, having backups can help you keep going without losing important information.

When it comes to cyber security, it’s better to be careful than sorry. If you need help staying safer, let us know.