Protecting Your Critical Data

Modern businesses rely heavily on their networks and the conveniences they provide; the speed, interconnectivity, and efficiency that a robust intranet offers a company are invaluable to its daily processes. A company’s network will likely store online correspondence, internal documentation, and even sensitive client information, all available at a few keystrokes to any person with the right credentials. Ensuring the security of this network is of great importance, due to the damaging effects the data can cause in the wrong hands. Yet many small businesses think that their network is beneath a hacker’s notice, and therefore their insufficient security measures will be enough to protect them. All the valuable information found on a small business’s network, paired with the relative lack of security against intrusions, make it an attractive target for various types of bad actors who are intent on abusing that information for their own gain. These creative and determined individuals have shown us repeatedly that a strong firewall and the most current virus-blocking software are not necessarily enough security to protect your network from hackers and scammers. For this reason, Abel Solutions offers network security services to companies in need of a stern defense against cyber threats.

The bad actors that want access to your network will use a variety of methods to try and get their hands on it. While not all cyber threats will involve the use of malware — harmful programs remotely installed on a target computer — all methods will involve some level of deception to get around existing network security efforts. Although cyber criminals’ playbook of scams is ever-growing, certain strategies are commonly used against unsuspecting victims. Your business’s network can be safer if all employees are aware and cautious of these regularly used methods:

Common Methods of Attack

• Phishing:
  • A bad actor posing as a trusted third party, trying to trick the victim into giving up sensitive information (like account numbers, passwords, social security numbers, etc.)
  • A type of spoofing — uses similar deceitful tactic, but convinces the victim to willingly act against their own interests (download a file or program from a seemingly reputable source that carries a virus)
• Password Attacks:
  • A hacker uses a program to guess the victim’s password (does not require them to install any malware on your computer or do anything to your network)
  • Can be accomplished through multiple processes (like guessing every possible password, guessing against a dictionary as a reference point, etc.)
• Man-in-the-Middle Attacks:
  • A scammer exploits a non-secure network connection to interfere in the victim’s online correspondence
  • The bad actor receives all messages and can use them to impersonate each party to the other to discover sensitive information
• Inside Attacks:
  • Sometimes, the cyber threat who threatens a company’s data security is someone who already has access to the network
  • Disgruntled former employees are the most common perpetrators of this cyber-crime, as they have the passwords and authorizations to get around network security

Abel Solutions — Trusted Provider of Network Security Services

Abel Solutions employs best practices to thwart both these efforts and more advanced schemes. We have over 20 years of experience providing valuable IT services to businesses from a variety of industries. Our proven record of offering substantial network security services to small businesses in the Greater Atlanta area speaks for itself. We have gathered a team of IT experts with a thorough grasp of how best to protect your network — deploying the most potent but appropriate combination of security software, network administration, and employee preparation to best ensure the security of your system. With the combination of our knowledge, your determination, and a mutual dedication to security, Abel Solutions will provide the services to help make your network an unassailable cyber fortress.