Is your business’s online information safe? Do you know if your data is vulnerable? According to a recent analysis of corporate networks, it probably isn’t.
In an annual test of cybersecurity in corporations around the world, Kaspersky Lab found that nearly three-quarters of the tested networks were not protected properly. The cybersecurity giant conducts perimeter penetration tests annually to provide information to IT departments regarding the safety of their online data. Without proper protection, corporations and all of the organizations connected to them can have major issues that can lead to financial and operational problems that can be damaging to their reputations.
Kaspersky Lab provides cybersecurity for business and residential customers. This company has been providing cybersecurity to companies around the world for over 20 years. As the world of cybersecurity changes, Kaspersky Lab constantly monitors and updates their security protocols to continue to keep up with people who try to infiltrate businesses, government agencies, and other organizations around the world. According to Kaspersky Lab’s website, the company has over 400 million customers.
It is a wise business move for a company like Kaspersky Lab to conduct studies that show how important its services are. In order to provide strong cyber protection, Kaspersky Lab needs to understand how to break into networks. And, cybersecurity experts clearly know how to break into IT systems. Kaspersky Lab was able to use weak credentials to gain access to one-third of the administrative-level areas of the companies they tested. This gave them access to entire systems, including servers, individual employee workstations, and other vital systems.
They were able to access even more corporate internal networks. With their mock attacks, they found that almost all of the systems they analyzed had underwhelming security. In most cases, Kaspersky was able to access the highest administrative levels using only two or three attack steps.
This should be concerning for business owners because once a cyber-attacker gains access to the administrative levels of a system, they can get to everything. By showcasing these weaknesses, Kaspersky Lab proves how important their services are and how important it is for businesses to invest in Kaspersky Lab’s products.
Interestingly, instead of using the findings of the cyber-attack study to sell products. Kaspersky Lab made recommendations which can be implemented by IT administrators without needing to contact Kaspersky. The recommendations included basic security steps like monitoring firewalls and updating software on a regular basis. It also included educating and encouraging employees to use strong passwords. IT administrators should also conduct security tests and develop a real strategy for finding and responding to cyber attacks.
Kaspersky Lab shared their findings in a PDF file filled with thorough information. It included the steps they took to gain access to so many vital systems and where the weaknesses exist. This PDF file provides a wake-up call to businesses that may not take their cyber-security seriously. It seems as if too many businesses do not think that their businesses can be attacked, but it is clear that an excessive amount of businesses are seriously vulnerable. And, while this 28-page PDF full of information is accessible to business owners and their IT administrators, it is also readily available to the people who make their living hacking. This should put some fear into the business owners who do not invest properly in cybersecurity.
