This article is written by Ankita, pursuing a Diploma in Business Laws for In House Counsels from LawSikho.

Introduction

With a sudden increase in users of internet and information technology over years, the cyber attackers are also increasing in cyberspace. From the past few years, business is coming into e-commerce which is why it is important to keep the business from cyber attacks. The use of the internet for business purposes has much benefit but it also needs continuous monitoring to be safe. Today it is not easy to keep the cyber attacks away by just upgrading an antivirus in the systems. Cyber attacks are not only limited to just hacking the systems or looting bank accounts through codes. With the upgradation in technology, Cyber attacks have been taking some new dimensions that are a threat to everyone and needs to be addressed. A single cyber attack can be a threat to the whole business and its goodwill. The case of Cosmos Bank, Pune, 2018 in which the hackers took Rs. 94 crores within 2 days, Maharashtra government site hack in 2007, and UIDAI Aadhar Software hack which left 1.1 Billion of people’s security at stake are the clear examples of what a single cyber attack can do!

To know exactly how to protect your business from cyber attacks, it is important to understand how the cyber attackers attempt to get into the businesses and what are the tactics used by them to get benefits. 

Kinds of Cyber Attacks in business

• Phishing

The attacks through phishing are very common kind of attacks used by cyber attackers. Phishing is done by contacting innocent people through emails, call, or messages to threaten them to get the sensitive information such as details of credit card, bank account and such personal information through which the attackers can gain monetary benefits.

• Ransomware

Ransomware is preferred by attackers in almost all the sectors of the businesses to gain profit. It is a kind of Malware which blocks the person from accessing his own system information on the system and then the attacker threatens to remove the information from the system permanently.

• Spyware

When a tool is attached to another file and it gets downloaded with the original file by the targeted person, the attacker can get all the confidential information from the system without any authorization needed and without the knowledge of the owner.

• Advanced Persistent Threats

APT is a kind of cyber attack where the hacker tries to get access to the computer for a long time with an intention to gather the information saved in the system. The hacker steals the information and gets the benefit he wants.

•  Denial of Services

Denial of services is one of the oldest kinds of Cyber attack which is used to break the system by overloading the system and making the work go slow and hard to function. It can also be done by sending some specialized data to the system so that it creates some error and makes it harder to function.

•  Insider Attacks

Insider attacks are committed by some internal people who can be the employees, contractual workers or anyone using the system. Some anonymous links are sent to the website or on the apps, and people by mistake Clicks on them which makes the access of hackers the system.

•  Password Attack

Password attacks are the easiest attack which can be done by gaining little knowledge about the information technology, where the hackers try to put some kind of password combination to get the right password and gain access to the network or the system.

•  Man-in-the Middle

The most common and relatable kind of a cyber attack which has been seen by most of the people using the internet. Third party which is the communication between the two parties while making payment online or a process which includes the third-party interception is where the hacker games access to the system’s activity and all the information shared over that connection including login details, personal information etc.

• Drive-by Download

Kind of Cyber attack which is the simplest of all the kinds of Cyber attack. Attackers add a malicious code in a document which is available on the Internet in a PDF form and while downloading the PDF the code gets automatically downloaded with the PDF and the attacker gains the benefit. The attackers do research on the most searched materials and can make the PDF of those materials or websites.

There are many other kinds of Cyber attacks and keeps on coming up with some of the other Malware and hacking techniques. The businesses need to be updated with these kinds of attacks especially when they are indulged In The E-Commerce business where the company functions and relies on the internet. Not only are big companies and businesses the target of hackers but it is true that most of the cyber attacks in India have been committed on small businesses and semi medium size businesses. So every business or companies whose work or information is functioning on systems should be updated with the latest technologies and take all the safety measures to be safe and secured from the cyber attackers.

Protect yourself from Cyber Attack

1. Updated Software

Updating the software is not only important for smooth functioning of the system but it also helps in the long run. An old version of the software is often the target of the hackers and has a lot of loopholes. Hackers may easily enter into older versions of the software and steal your data which can cause a lot of damage to the system, business and the reputation of the business.

Some of the safety major measures that needs to taken are:

• Always keep software which can keep viruses, phishing attacks and malwares at bay.
• Browsers are the major sources of cyber attacks so they should always be kept updated in the systems. 
• There are various options in the browser to keep the control over the access to data so that should be customized.
• Encryption of wireless networks is also important. 
• Always remove the connected USB ports so that the data cannot be downloaded. 
• Passwords are usually saved in the systems automatically so they should never be saved in the browser and the browser has various options so you can choose to ‘always ask’ option for saving passwords.

2. HIRING IT PROFESSIONAL 

Whether a business is small or medium or large, there should be at least one IT professional who can handle all the problems and loopholes related to Information technology and security. The IT professional knows the exact softwares that is safe, and makes the system safe and monitors the entire activity of the systems. If the new startup or business does not have the finance to hire an IT professional then they can also opt for an IT consultant to know all about the systems and its security and implement them in their businesses.

3. GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES

With the increasing cyber crime, Indian Government has been taking stringent measures to stop cyber crime in India. There are various initiatives taken by Indian Government by which the businesses can also get safety from cyber crimes. These initiatives are:

• CERT-In: CERT-In means Indian Computer Emergency Responses Team. It has helped various government agencies and employees to fight against cyber crime. It issues alerts and advisories regarding cyber crime especially anti-phishing techniques which the business can also implement in their business. 
• Cyber Surakshit Bharat: This initiative is launched by The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY). This was launched with a primary objective to make people aware about the cyber threats. It also conducts some workshops for the general public to make them aware about the cyber security health tool kit to make people aware and be safe. 
• NCCC: Nation Cyber Coordination Centre which is launched by the Government to make aware the people of India about the existing potential threats of cyber attack which can be used by the business owners and employees to be safe from the potential threats of cyber crime which already exist in India. 
• Personal Data Protection Bill: The Bill was introduced in 2019 by the Union Government which states that by this bill, the personal information and data shall not be shared outside India. This Bill will surely save businesses from the cyber attacks which take place from outside India.

Conclusion

With the advancement of technology, cyber crime has been increasing and for that not only businesses but every individual needs to take safety measures. Awareness plays a vital role in the implementation of Cyber security. By being aware about the existing threats and every possible way to be safe, it becomes easier to work with secured systems. Many Big companies like Bajaj, Infosys, Wipro, IBM, and others who have adequate finance to make their systems secure have already implemented the security features in their systems. Their systems are so strong that not even an intern can access the websites without their permission and they can also monitor the activity of their systems which is protecting them from data leakages. 

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